Some Dogs Fix Cars
by QueenCheetah
Summary: Semi-AU- A chance encounter leads to the perfect job offer for a destitute teen. It almost seems too good to be true- until his new co-worker starts driving him crazy! But sometimes the best job perks aren't immediately obvious... SxJ Shonen-ai Puppyshipping
1. Chapter 1

"Uhnff!" The boy winced as he felt a fist collide with his nose. The others laughed as their classmate shook the long hair out of his scuffed face. He glared at them from the ground, but the three bullies only grinned. The biggest of the boys cackled nastily.

"See? Now you're going to lose your wallet, _and_ your pride!"

The oldest of the trio turned to their victim and scoffed derisively. "Not like there's anything in it! But we'll take it anyway- unless you wanna try and stop us? Be a man?" He raised a fist towards the beaten boy.

The third bully spoke in a wiry voice. "No way! He's just a wussy lil' coward!"

The unfortunate boy could only berate his attackers.

"Ngh... _you're_ the cowards!"

The cretins laughed again, but stopped when a loud voice sounded from nearby.

"Eh, I gotta agree wit' him- three on one ain't 'brave', that's for sure."

The pint-sized tormentors hesitated when they saw a lanky figure step into the alleyway. The strange teen was definitely older than they were- likely by several years. He was wearing a blue uniform from the local high school, and a confident grin to match. The light-haired newcomer smirked and pointed at the troublemakers.

"So, how's about we make this more fair? You three- against us." The blonde interloper smirked as he pointed to the baffled bullies. The grade schoolers shared some nervous glances- this guy looked serious. And now that he was closer, they could see that he was very tall. The largest punk gave an over-exaggerated snort and waved to the other two.

"Pfth, we can't be bothered with that _**loser**_! C'mon, I wanna get to the arcade."

The other two boys hurriedly followed their 'leader' as he made his way past the intimidating teen.

The blonde only glared, his eyes following the brats until they reached the alley entrance. As soon as the aggressors were out of sight, he sighed.

"Gutless li'l twerps- you awright there?" Two amber-brown eyes stared down at the bullied boy.

The pre-teen nodded quietly, a little ashamed that he'd been saved by some random high schooler. "Yeah, thanks."

"No prob- whoops, looks like you got a bit of a bleeder there." The gangly teen quickly produced a clean tissue and handed it to the boy.

"Thanks." The raven-haired tween tilted his head backwards as he dabbed at his dripping nose.

Surprisingly, the Good Samaritan didn't leave. Instead, he took a seat on the worn pavement next to the discomfited kid.

"Try tippin' your head forward, not backwards- an' squeeze lightly. It'll stop faster."

The younger boy blinked in confusion, and the baffling blonde rubbed the back of his own neck. Now it was his turn to look somewhat embarrassed. "I, uh, got in a lotta scraps when I was your age."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence, in which neither student was sure what to say.

The taller of the two eventually re-kindled the chatter. "You live 'round here?"

The young kid nodded cautiously- he still wasn't sure if he should trust this strange newcomer.

"Ah. Well, I have to be at my job in an hour; but I can walk ya there, if it's not far."

Two grey eyes turned downwards at those words. _Oh._ So he was just trying to protect him again.

"Anyway, my name's Jounouchi. Jounouchi Katsuya." He gave a wide grin, but the chagrined boy didn't respond. "Ah. Rough day, eh? Yeah, I've had some a those m'self. Well, jus' let me know when we get to your block, an' I'll scram."

The bleeding boy weighed his options, and decided to trust the tall guardian. "Ok." He got to his feet slowly, wincing as he felt the bruises and scrapes from earlier.

"Need a hand?"

The determined tween shook his head, and finally stood up. The pair made their way out of the dismal alley, and headed down the city sidewalk.

There was silence for several blocks. The boy only spoke when they needed to change their direction. Sensing the mood, the fair-haired teen stayed quiet as well.

The black-haired tween decided he didn't want the strange brawler knowing where he lived. So after a while he just pointed to a random home and said it was his.

The blonde nodded, oblivious to any deceit. "Gotcha! I'll get goin' then- don't wanna be late."

"Um, thanks."

The older teen grinned broadly and waved before walking away. "Anytime! You take care now, awright?"

The boy waved back, but didn't move until the strange 'Jounouchi' guy was out of sight. He then immediately turned to the right and started walking. He didn't stop until he'd reached a very dilapidated apartment building. The front steps were littered with garbage, and the hand rails were covered with rust.

A well-worn key turned in a discolored door lock, leading to the opening of a very tiny apartment. The boy sighed as he put down his school bag. He only needed to walk a few feet to reach the bathroom. He rapidly brushed through his jet-black hair before wiping away the blood from under his nose.

A few minutes later, the latch-key kid headed into their undersized kitchen. He wanted to work on cooking _some_ sort of dinner. The options were limited. There was very little in the half-pantry, save for some off-brand cereal and stale bread. After a bit of searching, the boy found a bargain-brand box of cheesy pasta and decided it would have to do.

Half an hour later, there was the sound of another key turning in the lock, followed by the warped door creaking open.

"I'm home." An exhausted voice called out through the tiny apartment.

"Seto!" The boy turned from the stove and saw his beloved older brother step inside. "You're just in time; I'm making dinner!"

The teenager slowly closed the door. His tired, blue eyes shifted to his only relative. "And did you finish your homework first?"

The boy gave a weak smile and tried not to look down. "Erm, not really..."

The overworked brunette sighed. "I've told you, Mokuba, the most important thing is your education. I can make dinner tonight."

"But you're exhausted!" The black-haired boy protested. "You're working yourself to death, big brother! You have _three_ jobs!"

Seto Kaiba shook his head- it was getting harder and harder to argue with his only sibling. The boy was growing- not just taller, but smarter.

 _'Still... he has a point.'_ The pinched teen sat down at the old, plastic table in their meager 'kitchen.'

Three jobs.

It was hard to believe that such a bright young prodigy had ended up a minimum-wage slave. The few people who knew Seto Kaiba also knew that he had a brilliant mind- with ambition to match. He could easily have been the top student of any graduating class.

But, sadly; things had not turned out well for the two dark-haired boys. Back when Seto was 12 and Mokuba was barely 6, their parents both died in a car accident. The two were then shunted back and forth between their inept relatives until the inheritance money ran out. The heartless skinflints then dumped the brothers in a low-grade orphanage, and disappeared.

It was hard enough for Seto to survive, but Mokuba was more timid and gentle. The shy boy was quickly targeted by the 'home's' delinquents. He was bullied relentlessly, and eventually the older brother feared for his sibling's well-being. It took weeks of planning, and even a bit of 'borrowing' from the staff's wallets; but eventually the two were able to escape to the nearby city of Domino.

Seto enrolled Mokuba into the closest school, and managed to secure their rat-hole of an apartment for the first month.

It felt wonderful to be free, but Seto knew there was no way they could survive without some sort of income. So the proud teen quickly took any job he could get. With the economy still doing poorly, and no real ID or records, he had a hard time impressing potential employers. But the clever teen soon found lying about his age and experience could help. Eventually, Seto was working for three separate places, all of them barely paying minimum wage.

But it was worth it. Every day he came home, and his brother was looking far less afraid, and much more healthy. The tween was starting to enjoy life, while finally gaining some (much needed) self-esteem.

Still, they were living below the poverty line. And to Seto Kaiba, that was just not acceptable. He wanted more for his brother and himself. But without even a high-school diploma to his name, there weren't many options.

The weary teen spent many nights lying awake, contemplating their future. He wanted Mokuba to get into a good college, and someday have the chance to pick whatever field he wanted to work in. But for now, the only thing he could do was help was fix their dinner.

"Here, I'll finish up the meal- go start on your homework." The brunette ushered the pre-teen into their living room/bedroom. "And I want to see everything when you're done!"

Mokuba rolled his eyes as soon as his brother looked away. He wasn't a first-grader, jeez! But he reluctantly left the stove behind and grabbed his shabby backpack. The worn, red bag had several patches holding it together, and the zipper was very hard to open.

Eventually, the 10 year-old managed to get out all of his books, and he began filling in the worksheets he'd postponed. Meanwhile, the eldest of the family was stirring the so-called 'cheese' into the pasta mix. He couldn't help but grimace at the unappealing, orange glob that resulted.

 _'Bargain brands...'_ Seto's nose wrinkled slightly as he doled out the cheesy abomination into two chipped, porcelain bowls. "Mokuba, dinner's done."

The boy looked up from his math book, his eyes lighting up. Although a bit small, the meal was much appreciated, and the two sat on their wobbly chairs at the worn table.

Neither brother spoke much as they ate- Seto was struggling to stay awake, and Mokuba felt bad trying to hold a conversation with the worn-out teen.

An hour later, Seto had gone over his brother's homework, pointing out any wrong answers- but not correcting them. Mokuba knew the routine: he'd try and correct his mistakes, and then Seto would fall asleep on the couch. He knew if he had questions he could ask his brother the next morning, when they walked to Mokuba's school. But for now, the brown-haired worker was headed for the only furniture that he could even sleep on.

The paltry apartment had only one bed, and it was an aged twin. Mokuba tried insisting that his brother take the bed, but Seto refused. Truth be told, it wasn't solely his parental-like instinct- the fact was, at just over 6', a twin bed was in no way a comfortable resting place for the 17 year-old. Instead, he'd always taken the well-worn sofa they'd found sitting on the curb one day.

The fatigued teen spoke a few words before lying down for the night.

"Goodnight, Mokie. Tomorrow will be better."

Mokuba felt a faint smile touch his lips. Ever since their first night at the orphanage, Seto always said those words to him before going to sleep. They didn't always come true, but at least it sounded like they still had some hope left.

"Goodnight, big brother."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, two rather tall students made their way down the front steps of Domino High School.

The lighter-haired teen nodded to his friend. "Hey, Honda. You mind walkin' wit' me today?"

"Eh? What, you scared that some paparazzi are gonna see you?"

The blonde swatted at the brunette's pointed hair. "Don' be a dork! I jus' got somethin' I wanna check on, that's all."

"Sure, whatever man." Honda gave his friend a quizzical look, but didn't say anything further. The two walked down the concrete sidewalks, joking and talking as usual. But halfway along their path, the blonde suddenly paused and motioned to his friend. Jou pointed to the entrance of one of the dingier alleyways in the area. Honda peered down the back street, curious as to what he was supposed to see.

But Jou already knew what was happening, and he urged his friend forward. Soon they could make out the voices of three immature thugs.

Sure enough, it was the same trio of punks from the day before, surrounding the same weaker student.

Jou let out a puff of air before striding into the alley. He spoke very loudly, catching the kids off-guard.

"Oy! You didn't wanna fight the two of us yesterday, so I brought a friend to make it really even!" He stuck out a thumb in Honda's direction. The brunette caught on quickly, and he smirked as he folded his arms in a threatening pose. "Now it's 3 versus 3, right? So, how about it? Let's rumble!"

The little twerps scattered, this time not bothering to come up with a pretense for leaving. Honda let out a snort and walked over to the downed victim. He held out a hand to the dark-haired boy.

"You okay, dude?"

Jou quickly came up behind the other teen and threw his arm around his neck. "This guy here is my ol' friend Honda- he's not much to look at, but he's gotta good heart."

"Hey!"

"Jus' kidding, jus' kidding." The blonde turned away from his still-annoyed friend and spoke to the kid.

"C'mon, we'll getcha home again- I walk this way every day, so it's no problem."

Mokuba felt a little more nervous this time- this newer guy looked pretty strong, too- but he nodded anyway. And so the strange group of two teens and a pre-teen made their way back to the city sidewalks, stepping in quiet unison.

The silence was a bit awkward, and Honda finally raised a question. "So, how's the old man?"

Jounouchi blinked for a second, not realizing the question was aimed at him. "Eh? Oh, you mean my Uncle Hige- yeah, he's not doing so hot. He still runs the auto parts shop all by himself. He's not a bad businessman, but he sucks with computers. An' now everyone is building websites an' sendin' e-mails- yeah, he's gettin' pretty frustrated." The lanky teen threw his hands behind his head. "He really needs help, but I ain' so hot with computer-junk myself. I usually just stick to the grease-work."

Mokuba wasn't sure why, but for some reason he decided to speak up right then. "My big brother is a whiz with computers!"

"Huh?" The blonde looked downwards at the dark-haired boy and blinked. "Your... your brother?"

The pre-teen nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh- he always used to sneak into the staff's office and play around on their old desktops. He could even crack the passwords for all the log-in screens! He's brilliant!"

Honda and Jounouchi assumed the boy meant the local school staff offices, and both looked bemused.

"Hmm... I dunno..." Jou squinted at the raven-haired tween. "-my Uncle's kinda a hard-headed guy. D'you think your brother could handle workin' for someone like that?"

Mokuba couldn't help but laugh. "My big brother's not afraid of anything or anyone! And he's a hard worker, too!"

"Hey, he can't do any worse than you would." Honda remarked, glad to finally repay that earlier slight.

Jou grumbled as he replied. "Wise guy- awright, well, I can give ya a business card to give to him- but I can' speak for my uncle; so I ain' promising nothin', got it?"

Mokuba nodded eagerly, even bowing his head slightly as he took the card. "Awesome! I'll bring it to him right away!" The anxious boy started running, leaving the other two youths to stare after him in bewilderment.

"Huh. Weird kid." Honda watched as the grade schooler vanished out of his sight. "Is that why you wanted me to walk with ya?"

"Nah, I was plannin' on proposin', but then those kids got in the way." Jou snorted while his oldest friend rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah- well, looks like he's got a rough home life. Wonder if his folks are even around..."

Neither teen spoke as they walked the rest of the way to the street corner that divided their paths. Jou waved to his pal before thoughtfully making his way to his own shabby abode.

'I hope they ain' actually around; or else that kid's gotta be better off without 'em.'

Barely an hour later, the same boy was trying his hardest to convince his only family that he was right.

"But _Set-o_!" The boy plaintively followed his big brother into their mediocre half-kitchen.

"Mokuba, NO. I don't care what kind of job this guy says he's offering; if he's the kind of nut-job to harrass grade-schoolers on their way home from school, he's bad news."

"But Seto, he's not a bad guy! And he wasn't bothering me; he saved me from-!" The black-haired boy suddenly fell quiet.

The look on his elder brother's face said it all. The horrified brunette dropped to one knee and placed a hand on his sibling's left shoulder.

"Mokuba, were you being bullied? You promised to tell me if that ever happened again!"

The dejected tween looked aside in embarrassment.

"It happens after school- there's nothing we could do but move, and I know you can't do that." The boy sniffed slightly. "'Sides, I like Domino, and most of my school- it's not _all_ bad."

"Still..." Seto frowned as he thought of a way to counter his sibling's logic, but he was right. What could Seto do that would change anything?

The older bother sighed. His long fingers ran over the raised ink on the business card. "I'll _consider_ it, alright? If I have some time tomorrow I'll check the place out."

Mokuba grinned, but Seto Kaiba didn't feel quite the same comfort. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of crazy repair shop would hire a half-wit teenager who distributed business cards to random grade schoolers.

Thankfully, the address listed on the business card wasn't too far from the Kaiba brother's current home. Seto made the trip easily the next day. The brunette felt his lip curl in distaste as he saw the rusted sign proclaiming, "Hige's Auto Shop," in bright blue and red colors. He couldn't help but wonder how such a tacky-looking place could stay in business.

 _'Probably something illegal in the back- like a chop shop.'_ The tall teen sighed before stepping up to the old, wooden counter/desk. He tapped the tarnished metal bell and waited.

A loud voice called out from somewhere in the back of the shop.

"Be wit' ya in a moment!"

'Oh great.' The heavily accented voice sounded like it belonged to a dimwit. Seto's expectations weren't exactly dashed when he saw a lanky, greasy blonde coming towards the front desk. The other teenager was carrying what was possibly the dirtiest grease rag in all of Japan, and had a wide grin that suggested a simple mind.

"Hey, welcome t' Hige's Auto! My name's Jounouchi, but call me Jou! Ya lookin' for some specific parts, or just a tune-up? We gotta special on oil changes all this week!"

Seto stood straight, and spoke in his most professional manner. "Actually, I was referred here by-" But the taller teen was interrupted by a fit of cursing and hollering from somewhere just behind the main shop doors.

" _Mother_ \- JOU! This damn machine is actin' up again! Stupid thing won't print any o' the orders out!"

"Oops; er, hang on a sec-" The blonde gave an apologetic smile before turning his head to yell back at the man. "Uncle! We gotta client up here! Tone down on the cussin'- I'll look at the computer later!"

"I need those orders NOW! I have to ship them before Friday!"

Annoyed at being talked over and ignored, the brown-haired teen jumped over the counter and began walking into the back of the shop.

"Eh?" The light-haired employee was stunned- the stranger made the leap so smoothly that he hadn't even realized what had happened at first. "Hey, wait; you can't go back there!"

The brunette paid Jou no mind, and found his way into a dingy little office-room tucked in the back corner of the shop's garage. He stepped inside the office, and saw a middle-aged man leering at an old desktop printer.

"Damnit, of all the times for this sh*t to act up..." The ill-tempered owner barely seemed to notice the tall teenager standing behind him. "What do you want?"

Seto didn't reply, his eyes focused on the desktop monitor. "It appears that you're low on ink. I'd suggest checking your cartridge."

"Eh?"

The teen swiftly pulled out the business card he'd been given, and handed it casually to the mechanic. "I was told that you needed technical assistance. I can see from here that you have an icon on your screen that indicates a special system alert- such as a 'low ink' warning."

"Tch- you think you're somethin' special, don't you?" The old man snorted and jabbed a thumb towards the front of the shop. "The boy just put a new cartridge in yesterday- so it can't be the ink!"

"Was it the color cartridge, or the black cartridge? Because if you've been using both, then it's possible they both ran out at the same time. Do you print plenty of color orders?"

The old man's eyes widened, and he seemed to finally calm down a bit. "I've used color pictures, yeah- matchin' paint requests and stuff."

"Here." Without permission, the teen moved the computer mouse to select the alert icon blinking at the bottom of the screen. The message soon appeared in bold, clear lettering:

-COLOR CARTRIDGE: 10% REMAINING- RECOMMEND REFILLING BEFORE PRINTING-

"I'll be damned..." The shop mechanic snorted. "Never would'a thought of that... well, looks like you're pretty skilled there, Mr.-?"

"Kaiba. My name is Seto Kaiba."

Jou had finally made his way into the back, only to see his uncle chuckling at the rude newcomer.

"Well, Mr. Kaiba, we've been in need of a computer-guy for a long time now- d'you work for someone who does that? I ain't offerin' a king's ransom, but it should be easy work for a fella like yourself."

"Nyeh?" Jou stared in confusion- since when did his uncle ever admit he needed help; much less warm up to an impudent stranger like this?!

The tall stranger smirked. "I've actually been looking to build up my resume, and some experience in computer technology would be most prudent."

The older man gave a hearty laugh. "Perfect! Well then, if you want to drop by tomorrow around 10:30, my nephew; Jou, will introduce you to the other shop staff- it's mainly jus' me and the boy, but we got a few specialists who drop by for certain requests." Jou felt his jaw nearly drop as his uncle gave the odd intruder a basic employment form. "Fill this out, bring it with, and we'll work out your schedule afterwards."

"Eh?!" But before Jou could make more than a few strangled noises, the taller teen nodded.

"I am looking forward to it- thank you, Mr.-?"

"Name's 'Hige,' but everyone calls me 'Uncle' or 'Boss'- and don't bother with that 'mister' cr*p. It only makes me feel old." They shook hands, and Seto Kaiba strode out of the shop, the paper form still in his grip.

Jou could feel his mind whirling- how was it that his grouchy, curmudgeon of an uncle suddenly decided to hire some random kid off the street?! As soon as the statuesque youth was out of sight, Jou turned to his relative.

"Uncle?! I know you were looking for someone to help, but that guy-?!"

The old man was standing still, one hand absentmindedly gripping his chin. "Eh, he seems up to the job, and with those clothes I doubt he'll demand a large paycheck." The experienced shop owner gave a shrewd grin. "'Sides, I checked out some of those numbers you found for me the other day- you wouldn't believe what those swots are askin' for providin' 'technical support' five days a week!"

"Oh." Jou sighed as he realized that his uncle was, once again, thinking like a skinflint. Yeah, that made more sense. It wasn't easy to keep a small business afloat, and with the economy bad, his uncle probably had a point.

Still... Jou couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when he thought of the arrogant smirk on that odd teen's face. He had a bad feeling about this...


	3. Chapter 3

Seto Kaiba sighed. It had been several years since he'd taught himself coding, and now he was in charge of designing an entire small business website- _from scratch_. There were plenty of free websites to help him catch up on the latest tricks, and he was a quick learner. However, his efforts were being impeded by one particularly burdensome blonde.

"So... you're Mokuba's big brother?"

The tall brunette nearly groaned- for some misguided reason, the shop-owner's nephew was _insisting_ on forcing some sort of interaction.

At first, Seto thought it was an awkward attempt at an introduction, but they had already exchanged full names and pleasantries. Now he just wanted to focus on refreshing his HTML skills.

"Yes, I'm his brother."

There was a brief pause. The only sound was Seto typing away on the keyboard. Then...

"You don' really look like him."

Seto gritted his teeth and replied curtly: "Yes, well; genetics being what they are, we ended up resembling different parents."

"Ah."

Two blue eyes remained still, scouring over the jumble of code that he'd manage to compile.

'Let's see- tr align="center" with colspan="2" and valign="top"-'

"So, you're a computer expert by trade?"

Seto decided to drop a subtle hint. "You could say that- don't you have some tires to rotate or something?"

"Naw, the shop's pretty slow right now- things don' usually pick up until the weather gets harsh." Jou nonchalantly pointed to the plain calendar hanging from the shop's furthest wall. "Bu' we do most of our volume right 'round-"

" _Jou!"_ Seto felt his shoulders relax when there was a loud yell from the front of the shop. "I'm orderin' those replacements from Tomachi- I need ya to grab me some of those bad wrenches from the back!"

" _Right away_ , _Uncle!_ " The loud teen turned back to his boss. "Anyway, there's some sodas in the fridge, and chips under the front desk- if ya need anythin', lemme or Uncle know, awright?"

"Sure." Grateful for the silence, the newest employee gave a sigh as he was finally able to focus on his work. Sure, the blonde probably meant well, but it was still very unprofessional for him to be hanging over his co-worker's desk. Casual or not, this was still a business, and he'd been hired to help them make money- not small talk.

Jou, on the other hand, was baffled by the new teen's reluctance to 'shoot the breeze'. He and the other shop guys always talked while fixing things- they joked, argued over the music on the radio, or just yakked about what they were getting up to outside the shop.

'Weird- wonder why he's such an anti-social guy- maybe he's jus' nervous? Shouldn' be- Uncle's not that bad a boss... huh.'

But as he left to grab the worn wrenches, Jou couldn't help but wonder why the other teenager would be available to work during normal work hours. 'Shouldn' he have classes and stuff? His brother was wearing a local uniform... huh. Maybe he's older than he looks. Sure is grumpy enough to be Uncle's age.'

The rest of the day went by a bit faster, and Seto was pleased to find that he'd managed a rather attractive (if not basic) layout for the shop's site. The white-and-blue themed pages had all the information necessary for a small business website, all in an easy-to-browse format. Uncle Hige gave his approval, and even a compliment, telling Seto that he should go ahead with the rest of the data input. The tall teen promised to finish the rest of the coding within the next week or two.

'Hmm...' As he made his way back to their pitiful lodgings, Seto Kaiba felt himself almost smiling. 'A less physically demanding job with a larger paycheck... not to mention the enjoyable challenge of testing my technical skills...' The long-legged teen sighed as he unlocked the door to their measly living accommodations. 'Seems like things are finally getting a bit simpler around here...'

But the serious youth was nearly bowled over by a fast-moving object as soon as he stepped inside the apartment.

" _What-"_ The brunette stared in confusion- it took him a moment to identify the black-and-white blur as an animal. More specifically, a very hyper dog.

"Oh- welcome home, Seto!" Mokuba was currently struggling to put back all the cushions on the couch- Seto could guess who'd displaced them. "Um, I have a question..."

"NO." It didn't take a genius to realize the pre-teen's question.

"B-but..."

"I said **NO**."

"But Set-o! He's all by himself! And he's hungry! Just look how skinny he is!"

"Mokuba, this is not up for debate. We _cannot_ afford to keep a dog."

"He's not a dog, Seto! He's just a puppy, look!" The pleading grade-schooler pointed to the young dog now sitting happily between his feet. The black-and-white mottled mutt was hardly 'puppy' sized. Indeed, the animal was already bigger than a fox, and clearly not done growing.

Seto Kaiba took a deep breath as he prepared to impose a bit of harsh reality on his only sibling. "Mokuba, I understand that you would like to have a pet. And perhaps someday we can- but not now. It costs money to keep a pet fed and healthy." The taller brother gestured towards the panting pup. "He would need a license, and shots, which both require money. And what if he got sick? We can't afford to buy medicine for him."

The boy looked unconvinced.

Seto held back a sigh. "He deserves a family who can care for him properly. We'll take him to the shelter tomorrow, and then he can be adopted by someone who can keep him. Alright?"

"..." Mokuba lowered his eyes, before murmuring lowly, "...is that what you'd do to me? Drop me off at a shelter if I get sick?"

Two blue eyes softened slightly. "Mokuba, I have done everything in my power to make sure we stay together. I'm not giving up now. But I'm trying to be realistic here. The typical rabies license is around $75 alone- and it's an annual fee. We simply can't afford that. And what if he got sick or hurt? I don't think either of us wants him to suffer because of our lack of funds."

The rest of the evening was a bit awkward- Mokuba was fairly heartbroken over the eventual removal of his new 'friend.'

And Seto was just trying to ignore the overly-upbeat animal. The young dog continued bouncing around the tiny apartment, his pink tongue lolling as he ran into everything.

'Tch- first thing tomorrow- that mutt is gone.'

The next day Seto realized they had a dilemma- he didn't really know where the Domino animal shelters were located, and he had no means to look them up. So he decided (reluctantly) to swing by the Auto Shop and ask if he could borrow the computer for a few moments. Mokuba insisted on coming along. The boy had fed the dog some of his corn flake cereal for 'breakfast', and now he was guiding the overactive animal with an old rope he'd found. The makeshift leash didn't seem to bother the pup, and the trio marched over to Uncle Hige's Auto Shop.

The bell rang as the three filed into the shop. Jou looked up from behind the front counter, clearly surprised to see the other teen. "Huh? Seto? Ain' today one o' your days off?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid something's come up." He gestured to the other two visitors in the small room.

"Hey, what's up, short stuff?" Jou smiled as he noticed the younger boy. "Good to see ya! An' I see ya brought a friend!" The blonde came out from behind the counter and knelt down to the dog's height. "Well, hi there, boy! Aren't you a feisty one!"

The young dog eagerly jumped up to the friendly teen, and whined happily as his ears were scratched.

Jou laughed at the sight of the happy canine. "Aw, he's a great dog! How long have you had him?"

Seto firmly spoke up before Mokuba could protest. "He's not ours. He's a stray, and we're taking him to the closest shelter."

"Eh?!" Jou looked up suddenly. "You mean the Domino shelter? Aw, no; you can't take 'im there- they have the highest kill rate in Japan!"

If Seto could've cursed, he would've screamed every obscenity he knew. Instead, the brunette merely covered his face with his palm, silently fuming. _'That_ _ **moron**_ _\- how can I possibly convince Mokuba to get rid of the_ _mutt_ _after saying something like_ _that_ _?!'_

Sure enough, Mokuba's eyes widened, and he turned to his elder brother with tears threatening to build. "Seto? W-would they really kill him?!"

But before he could think of a reassuring reply, the blonde spoke up again. "You kiddin'? That place is so over-loaded they wouldn' have a choice!" Jou shook his head, unaware of his new co-worker's furious glare. "Nah, you'd be better takin' him someplace outside the city, like Hokaido. But I gotta better idea- we'll keep 'im here!"

"What?!" Both the Kaiba brothers felt their jaws drop as the young mechanic grinned.

"We could use a guard dog for the shop at night- an' he can be our mascot durin' the day!" Jou smiled as he began petting the top of the thrilled dog's head. "Wouldja like that, boy?

The overjoyed pup barked eagerly, and began chasing his tail in a circle.

"A guard dog." Kaiba deadpanned. "And what, exactly, makes you think this creature would be good at guarding anything?"

Jou ignored the cynical computer-nerd and stared right into the young canine's eyes.

"Sit!" Jou spoke in a firm tone, and the dog dutifully sat down on his haunches. "Stay!" The canine waited patiently. "Ok!" The gleeful dog jumped up and bounded into Jou's arms. "Wow, you're a real smart boy- an' you listen good! You'll do great here!"

The annoyed brunette turned to the blonde and subtly whispered: "Is that even your decision to make?"

The blonde whispered back rather mischievously: "Don' worry- Uncle's a total sucker for animals. He doesn' want anyone to know, but whenever we get a car in that hit somethin', he always says a silent prayer later."

Mokuba was currently petting the no-longer-homeless dog's head. "Can I drop by and visit him?"

"I don' see why not! Jus' don't go in the back without askin' first, ok? Sometimes we use heavy machinery, an' it's dangerous."

Mokuba quickly agreed, and Seto felt himself grow slightly less tense. He hadn't expected such a neat solution to all of this. 'This way the animal will be cared for, and Mokuba can still see him from time to time...'

"He needs a name, too- hey, how 'bout 'Auto?'" Jou looked up, clearly expecting a positive reaction.

Mokuba's brow wrinkled in confusion. "You mean, 'Otto'? That's a weird name."

"Nah, not ' _Ot-to_ '; ' _Aw-toe_!' Y'know, like a car?"

Seto decided to explain. "The English word for car is 'Automobile,' which is often shortened to 'Auto.' Jou is suggesting that the dog's name be a play on the fact that this is a car shop."

"Oh... I get it! That's funny! Ok, you can call him 'Auto!'" Mokuba grinned.

The dog yipped in gleeful agreement.

"Good boy, Auto!" Mokuba and Jou continued to play with the puppy, while the oldest visitor watched.

'Hn.' Seto felt a faint grin making its way across his face. 'Interesting... seems like things are working out far better than I expected.'

"ACK! No! Not on the metal chairs!"

"Auto, you only do that _outside_!"

The brunette sighed. '...Well, it's a work in progress, I guess.'


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days flew by in a whirl of fur and frenzy. Auto proved to be a very intelligent pup, as someone clearly had tried to train him before. Jou worked with the young dog every chance he got- with Uncle Hige occasionally offering advice or even a friendly pat. Soon the blonde had taught the clever dog a few additional tricks, such as 'stay' and 'roll over.'

Not a lot of women came by the shop, but the few who did tended to coo and cuddle with the young canine. And Auto soaked up the attention 'like a sponge,' as an amused Uncle Hige put it.

Seto Kaiba wasn't particularly fond of animals, but he did enjoy the look of delight that Mokuba got whenever he was able to play with the pup. It was a great arrangement- after school, Mokuba could walk to the shop (which was in a safer neighborhood than their actual apartment) and spend time doing his homework or playing with Auto until Seto was done. Then the two could walk home, just talking about their day- a nice little bit of shared time between the brothers.

Seto enjoyed working on the shop's computer system- Jou had done his best to keep everything running, but he clearly lacked the expertise to maximize the machines' potentials. He'd already finished the last draft of the official 'Hige Auto' website, and was just going over the hosting options with Uncle Hige before launching.

But as the two men talked in the small side-office with the main desktop, there was a yell from the main garage. Jou and one of Uncle Hige's part-time helpers had been setting up a small, scarlet sedan for a tune-up. They'd already gotten the car in the air, when the old hydraulic lift suddenly gave a strangled squeal. Before anyone could do anything, the well-worn machinery let out a horrible screech of metal-on-metal. A second later, the red car fell to the shop floor with a deafening *CRASH!*

Uncle Hige immediately came out of his office to observe the damage. "Number three finally blew- surprised it lasted that long- is everyone ok?!"

Jou shook his ringing ears and looked around. "We're fine, bu' Auto got scared and took off- I'm gonna go find 'im!"

Uncle Hige quickly checked the small car for damage while Jou ran after the terrified pet.

Seto, having heard the commotion, couldn't resist checking out the cause. Fortunately, he'd seen the spotted pup bolting out of the shop in the opposite direction that the blonde had gone. Seto headed after the runaway mutt, not bothering to correct Jou.

Outside the shop was a small bit of undeveloped land that Uncle Hige owned. It was a gravel lot, full of weeds and grit. Strewn about were a few old cars that had been collected and cannibalized over the years.

'Hm... if I were a dog, where would I hide?' Seto noticed a dilapidated old shed towards the edge of the property. The rusted metal container had an old door that was currently hanging ajar.

'Bingo.'

The stoic brunette stepped over to the metal shack, and peered inside. It was full of old car parts and broken equipment. It was hard to tell if the dog was inside, as there was so much debris covering everything. 'Looks like I'll have to go in...' The tall teen pushed the rusty door fully open before stepping inside. Seto had just maneuvered over a large fender, when he heard an ominous *creak*.

'Sh*t...' He turned around just in time to see the door slam shut. Apparently he'd pushed it open just enough for the rusted springs to remember their job.

Sensing trouble, the brunette went to try the handle- only to find that it was stuck.

'Sh*t!'

The blue-eyed IT man groaned when he realized the inner handle had somehow been twisted. Apparently something heavy had fallen against the door at some point, and now the handle was inoperable. Seto gave the door a few more tries (and even a kick) before giving up and looking around. But there was only one way out. The container had no windows, and the only light source was a faux 'sky-light' type covering that he couldn't reach.

Frustrated, the walnut-haired youth leaned against the metal siding of the shed. 'I suppose it won't take them long to find me. It's not like there's many places to hide on this property. Still, I don't plan on-'

Seto's inner monologue was interrupted by an another *creak!* from the treacherous handle.

"Auto? Ya in here?" Jou called out, not realizing that he had company.

"STOP! _DON'T CLOSE THAT-_ " Seto nearly screamed when the ignorant blonde stepped inside the shed, allowing the door to fully close.

"Eh?" Jou just blinked at the warning. "Don't close what?"

"The door." Seto facepalmed while Jou looked around in confusion. "Something's wrong with the handle, and it won't open from the inside."

"Oh, that's right; I always forget 'bout that bad latch- that's why Uncle never uses this shed anymore." The clueless blonde began testing the handle, but sure enough; it wouldn't budge. "Oops." The amateur mechanic turned to look at the other teen, somewhat embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward apology. "Sorry 'bout that."

The brunette merely huffed before mumbling, "whatever."

Jou didn't seem nearly as put-off by their situation. The shorter boy sat down, obviously not bothered by the filth on the shed floor.

After a few moments of awkward silence, the seated teen voiced a reasonable thought.

"So, how long d'ya think we're gonna be in here?"

His co-worker raised one eyebrow and gave a faint huff. "Well, it's already been longer than I can tolerate, so I'd say 'far too long' is a safe estimate."

The younger teen felt his shoulders tense in indignation. "Hey, you gotta problem or somethin', snob-boy?! Jus' 'cuz I work in a grease-shop all day doesn't mean I'm trash, y'know!"

"Actually, I tend to judge people more on their vocabulary and intellect."

Jou jumped up, suddenly feeling too nettled to sit. The past few weeks had been filled with subtle jabs and barbs, and he was finally fed-up with the brunette's insults. "Oh, right- and yer always actin' like you're sooo much better than everyone else, just 'cuz you know some fancy words!" The irritated blonde waved his arms about in irritation. "Well, news flash, 'Mr. Einstein'- that don't make you a member of the Japanese royal family!"

Seto slowly stepped forward, casually brushing off his pants as he did so. "Perhaps not. But any civilized person over the age of twelve should be able to speak the language with perfect fluency."

Jou stuck out his tongue, annoyed by the other's over-inflated tone. "Maybe if it's yer native language, yeah! But what if it's not, hotshot? Then what?"

"I'd say you've lived in Japan for several years- that should be more than enough time to master eloquence."

"Yeah, well we can't all be book-smart nerds- some of us actually have to work for a livin' instead of sitting in some cushy office someplace! I used to run with a pretty tough crowd, y'know!"

"What, like a gang?" Seto sarcastically added.

"Maybe." The blonde replied. He folded his arms in a stubborn pose. "Maybe I was second-in-command of the toughest group. It's none of yer business."

The brunette hid a smirk as he asked, "so, how'd you escape?"

"Eh?" Two amber eyes blinked again in bewilderment. "Whaddya mean, 'escape?'"

"I may not be a street thug, but I'm well aware of how gangs are set up- and their universal rule: 'you only leave when you die.'" Seto suspected the other teen had made up the line to impress him, and now he was trying to call the guy's bluff. "So, how is it that you were the second-in-command of 'The Dominoes,' and yet you managed to leave that life behind?"

Jou felt his face fall as he reflected on the more bitter moments of his past. He tilted his head downwards before replying. "Guilt by association. I threatened to tell all the other gangs that Hirutani's crew had a..." Jou hesitated for a moment, his golden bangs falling over his eyes, "...a guy who... likes guys."

"So, you told them you were gay to escape their life? Tch." Seto scoffed in harsh disapproval. "What a gutless lie."

Jou's voice was barely a whisper as he spoke his next words to the floor. "...an' who said it was a lie?"

 _'What?'_ Seto had just started to catch Jou's expression, when the shed door suddenly opened. Jou's uncle looked in, clearly holding back some laughter.

"I figured you two got stuck in here- we found Auto hiding behind the snow tires a while ago. C'mon out, before the dust bunnies strangle ya."

The trio headed back to the main garage, where Auto was already curled up on his usual blanket, napping peacefully.

"I need some water." Jou mumbled in an unusually subdued tone. The younger worker headed towards the front of the shop, not looking at either of his co-workers. Uncle Hige watched as his usually loud-mouthed nephew quietly sulked towards the front desk.

"Geez, you really managed to get him in a mood- what happened in there?"

Seto sighed, not sure if he was to blame for this sudden switch. "We got into a... discussion, of sorts, and he revealed some of his past. Judging by his demeanor, I don't think it was a pleasant reflection."

"Ah, you got him talkin' about the 'Dominoes' days..." Uncle Hige shook his head. "Makes sense. Those were some of the worst years of his life."

The blue-eyed employee blinked in surprise. "So, he was a former gang member?"

The older man sighed, and for the first time Seto noticed the lines running under the mechanic's eyes. "Yeah, poor Jou... he's a good kid, but it's a damned shame that his father was my brother... lousy, no-good scumbag." The sharp bitterness in the man's voice unnerved the brunette.

"I... take it he's not a model parent?"

"Wasn't." The old mechanic hissed caustically, like a curse. "Drank himself to death a few years ago."

Two lapis-colored orbs widened in shock. "That recently?"

Uncle Hige snorted. "Not soon enough, if you ask me. He was a complete bastard, through and through." The middle-aged man shook his head. "When he wasn't passed out drunk, he liked to use the kid as a punching bag."

'How unnerving...' But the brunette didn't understand how someone could get away with such behavior for long. "But surely there were neighbors who saw the... results?"

Uncle Hige shook his head again. "He didn't care if neighbors noticed the bruises or scars; no-one was crazy enough to interfere." The aging shop owner sighed. "I wish I'd known sooner... might've been able to help the poor kid out. I was still livin' in the states back then." He explained dismally. "No, Jou was so desperate to get away, that he joined the first gang he met. He learned how to fight, an' how to survive on the streets when his dad was home. But it hurt him, bad. There's something that breaks inside you, when you have to do ...things to survive. It's not easy to bounce back from that... especially for a good kid like him. And he never managed to get seriously involved in his academics after the move."

Seto nodded as everything grew clearer. "He was enrolled in a school in America, then?"

"Yeah... the boy did fine back there, with his mother and sister; but then he was shipped here to live with his father after the divorce... barely speaking the language, not knowing anyone else but that b*stard..."

"I take it Jounouchi wasn't sent to a private school for foreign children?"

Again, the elder worker shook his head. "Japan's school districts aren't free, sonny. Even the public ones require some cash, and my brother'd never give a spare dime to someone without getting something in return. Usually in the shape of a bottle. So he threw Jou in the cheapest school he could find, just to stop the authorities from questioning about him bein' truant. He was only moved to Domino High when I became his legal guardian."

"I see..."

"Hey, he might not be a genius, but Jou's a good kid- try not to be too hard on him, ok? We all got our scars, even if they ain't visible."

"Hmm." The brunette nodded absentmindedly. "I apologize if my conduct was bit... demeaning. I suspect an apology may be in order."

"Sure, jus' don't use too many big words- an' if worst come to worst, bring him some food. Jou's the kinda guy who thinks with his stomach." The older man managed a brief chuckle before he headed back towards the small back office of the shop.

Which left the tall brunette to ponder what sort of peace offering would work best for his voracious co-worker.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mmm- _mm_! I forgot how good fresh french fries smell!" The raven-haired tween grinned at his older brother. "This is _great,_ Seto! We haven't had fast-food in ages!" Mokuba was practically jumping up and down as the pair waited in line at the local burger joint. "I'm gonna order one of everything on the menu!"

Seto Kaiba, meanwhile, was still scouring the menu screens. Normally, he despised the greasy, unhealthy atmosphere of the 'Burger World' franchise. But his purpose for visiting the restaurant was two-fold- getting Mokuba his lunch was only half of his plan. "I know you're hungry, but I doubt you could finish that much food in one _week_ , much less one _day_."

The younger boy nearly pouted as he insisted, "but I'm still growing!"  
The older teen held back a sneer of disgust as a morbidly obese man tottered away from the counter, carrying several burger and fry containers. "Yes, but you should also be growing _upwards_ more than _outwards_."

Just then the very bored-looking cashier called them up to the counter. Mokuba quickly rattled off his (fairly modest) order. "I'll take a Combo #3, with extra pickles!"

The employee only nodded once before turning his limited attention to the older sibling.

Seto caught on and added, "and I'll take a 'Burger Supreme Set' with a #8 Combo to go."

Mokuba looked up in surprise- he knew his brother wasn't crazy about fast food. So why the extra-large order?

"That'll be $21.53." The disinterested cashier stated blankly.

Seto nearly smirked when he was able to pull out more than enough paper funds to cover the bill.

Words couldn't express how good it felt to have cash in his wallet again. There was something so disparaging, so ostracizing about an empty wallet. It made you feel like you were out of options, with nothing but numerous anxieties left to fill the wide gap.

As the two grabbed their napkins and straws, Mokuba spotted a small booth near the restaurant's front windows. He quickly sat down, eagerly opening his burger's flimsy container and digging in.

"Mmmm..." The kid grinned in approval of the flavorful meal. "I'm glad I asked for extra pickles!" In a matter of moments, half the burger was devoured. Mokuba was just getting into his fries when he noticed something.

Seto wasn't even touching his food. Mokuba blinked- what was going on?

"Seto? Why aren't you eating?" His brother wasn't the type to waste food, and he certainly didn't like to waste money. So why was he holding off on his own lunch? "Did they mess up your order?"

"No, I'm just... waiting. I'm going to be taking this food with me to work- I ordered more than what I wanted."

Now the pre-teen was fully confused- Seto didn't usually get along with most people. It wasn't like him to do a favor for someone without good reason. "Did- did someone at the shop give you money to buy lunch for them?"

The blue-eyed teen tried to look nonchalant as he spoke. "Not exactly... it's more like a 'gift,' I suppose."

"A... gift?"

"I'd call it a... 'peace treaty,' if anything." Seto really didn't want his brother reading too much into this.

"Wait, a peace treaty for _what_? What did you do?!"

...Too late.

"Mokuba..."

The grey-eyed tween was staring at his brother with a suspicious stare. "Did you do something to upset your boss?"  
"No." Seto tried to calmly insist, but his brother kept looking at him in the same way. "Everything's fine, Mokuba." More suspicious staring. "Look, it's... it's not a big deal, alright?"

Try as he might, Seto let a little too much emotion slip into his last statement, and the other brother quickly caught this.

"Oh, I get it- you got a new employee, didn't you?!" Mokuba's eyes lit up as he jumped head-first into the wrong conclusion. "And you think she's really pretty, right?" He held out one pinky finger as he teased his sibling.

"There's no new _or_ female employees at the shop." Seto deadpanned without missing a beat. "I'm just... making amends for some things I said. Things that might not have been taken the right way."

"Taken the right way...?" Mokuba slowly pondered what his sibling meant. It only took a moment for him to realize who he'd been leaving out of his theories. "You've been insulting _Jou_?!" Mokuba nearly gasped as his brother confirmed the fact by remaining mute. "Seto, that's _horrible!_ He's been super-nice to both of us! He helped me with the bullies, and he helped you get your first  real job!"

Getting berated by his younger sibling in a crowded fast-food restaurant was unpleasant enough, but the older Kaiba felt a twinge of guilt as he realized Mokuba had a point. He'd messed up.

"Look, I assumed a grease-monkey would have tougher skin than that. His uncle jokes around with him all the time, and I wasn't- Mokuba?" Seto stared as his dark-headed sibling jumped up and ran back into the 'ordering' line. "What are you doing?"

The stubborn youth turned and gave him a pointed look. "Getting some dessert, too! I bet Jou likes sweet things, and what you did was pretty sour!"

Seto resisted the urge to slam his head against the table- he wasn't ready to spend half his paycheck on the bottomless blonde! But thankfully Mokie only ordered a large shake and an extra box of fries.

"Now, get going! Before your 'offering' gets cold!" He firmly shoved the additional 'treats' into his big brother's arms before 'shooing' him towards the exit door.

Seto managed a few half-hearted grumbles of protest before he found himself walking down the sidewalk outside. He wasn't due to start work for another half-hour, and arriving early was not part of his original plan. The brunette sighed as he eventually saw the familiar old sign- "Hige's Auto Shop."

The jingle of the bells hanging on the front door heralded his arrival.

Jou was currently standing behind the front counter, looking over some sort of owner's manual.

"Hey, welcome t' Hige's- oh, hey Seto." Jou's demeanor fell as he saw who it was. His tone remained polite, but terse. "Uncle's at the vet with Auto- he's getting' fixed next week. You need anythin' before you get to work?"

"Actually, yes..." The computer guru kept his hands behind his back as he spoke. "I, er, just wanted to apologize for some of the... statements I've made... over the past few weeks."

"Eh? Apologize?" Jou blinked, not sure what to make of this announcement.

"I thought you might want a hot lunch... if you're hungry, that is..." Seto slowly revealed the paper bags he'd been hiding behind his back. Jou's eyes widened at the fast food logo, and he broke out in a wide smile.

"One thing you gotta learn 'bout me, Kaiba- I'm _always_ hungry!"

Seto managed to avoid rolling his eyes, and the two teens were soon seated around the white, plastic table in the Hige Auto 'employee lounge.'

Technically, the 'lounge' was just an unused closet in the back of the shop that Uncle had set up one day. It had a few plastic chairs, a half-functional microwave, and an old shelving unit filled with various disposable utensils and napkins. The thin teenagers both opened their respective bags, although Jou showed far more enthusiasm. Apparently he was very fond of fast-food hamburgers- leaving Seto to ponder if this was an 'American' thing, or just a 'Jou' thing.

One of the drink containers was still off to the side. The brunette awkwardly shoved the large shake towards the ravenous blonde. "Here- I don't like chocolate."

"Dessert, too?!" The thrilled mechanic grinned as he grabbed the frozen beverage. "Shucks, Kaiba; you're spoilin' me!"

The taller man snorted as Jou began noisily drinking the shake. "I don't see how you can possibly ingest all this and not bloat up like a balloon."

The blonde chuckled and pointed to his stomach with his thumb. "Uncle says I'm like 'Shaggy' from 'Scooby-Doo'." The younger man grinned, but his face fell when he realized the comparison was lost on the Japanese native. "Y'know... the skinny hippie guy from the old cartoons-?"

Seto shook his head. "Never saw it. But we grew up with different TV shows, I expect."

After munching another handful of fries, Jou curiously asked, "So, what shows _did_ you grow up with, then?"

The other youth shrugged as he tucked into his own take-out. "The usual, I suppose- I remember being fond of the 'Super Sentai' series."

"The 'Super Sentai'?" Jou tilted his head in confusion.

"A group of young people wearing brightly colored costumes fighting aliens and giant robots?"

The American-born youth blinked before realizing he knew the series. " _Oh,_ you mean th' 'Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers!'" He grinned around his shake straw. "Yeah, that show was awesome!"  
The older Kaiba just looked thoughtful. "Somehow they made the English title longer than the Japanese... impressive."

"Eh?" Jou paused, the straw resting just below his chin. "Whaddya mean?"

"Well, most companies try to simplify when they export to other language-speakers- less room for mistranslations, I suppose. So usually they'd _shorten_ the title of a program- like "Pocket Monsters" becoming 'Pokemon.'"

"Huh, that's right... an' then they made 'Dragonball' into 'Dragonball Z'. Weird." Jou pondered aloud.

Seto's face wrinkled in distaste. "Why'd they add the 'Z'?"

"Maybe they made it more 'zesty?'" The younger teen suggested jokingly.

"Tch." The eternal skeptic snorted. "More like a 'zombie'- it was probably re-booted and hacked to pieces before being re-aired."

The two continued comparing and contrasting old childhood shows as they finished off their individual lunches. They shared several laughs, with Jou even convincing Kaiba to share several fries (the brunette found them to be overly-salty and dry) before the break was over.


	6. Chapter 6

Work at the shop that afternoon came and went with no major disruptions. Uncle Hige and Jou kept the shop open later on Saturdays, as many businessmen and women couldn't stop by during the week. So they were still working when Seto clocked out for the night. But it had been a pleasant shift- Jou gave him one last 'thanks!' for the meal, and Uncle Hige made a quick 'thumbs-up' gesture when his nephew wasn't looking.

Seto was nearly smiling as he made his way alone towards his rented apartment. Mokuba had a big test coming up, and he had gone straight home after their lunch to study- mostly on Seto's orders.

'Not that he isn't one of the brightest kids in the entire school district, but still... it never hurts to learn good study habits.' The brunette nearly chuckled as their dingy building came into view. As brilliant as his little brother was, sometimes he had an inexplicable aversion to studying. 'He must think he doesn't need it... but he'll see differently when he gets into a good university.'

The speculating teen stepped out into the street, checking both directions before crossing. Not that it was really necessary, as the dingy street they lived on was a one-way thoroughfare. Seto began digging for his keys in his front pocket when he heard a disturbing roar.

There was a sudden screech of tires, a girl's scream, and a horrendous burst of pain before it all faded to nothing.

'Ugh...' The bewildered adolescent groaned as he started to regain consciousness. He could hear several voices, none of which he recognized.

" _Hit him like he was an animal!"_

" _Didn't even slow down-!"_

" _-stop that bleeding soon, or-"_

" _When is the ambulance coming?!"_

Somewhere, in the back of his befogged mind, Seto realized he must have been hit by a car. And judging by the voices surrounding him... it wasn't good.

As he lay on the rough pavement, feeling the warm slick of his own blood running down his forehead, only one thought stuck with him: _'If I die, what happens to Mokuba?'_

Normally Jou would answer the phone at the auto shop, but this time his uncle was closer (and had less grease on his hands).

"Hige's Auto, Hige speaking- what?! _When?!_ _**SH*T!**_ "

"Uncle?" Jou glanced at the obviously agitated man. "You- you alright?"  
"That was the local hospital, Domino General- Seto Kaiba's been in an accident."  
Jou's face drained of all color. "W-what kind of accident?!"

"He was crossin' the street in front 'a his apartment, when some joyriding punk turned the corner at 70 MPH. Messed him up pretty good- he's got some broken ribs and a minor concussion, to start." The older man shook his head in disbelief. "They found our number in his wallet- it was the only business card in there."

Jou felt his hands trembling. The impulsive blonde suddenly darted towards the front door. "I'm taking the Mazda!"

The shop kept an old silver sedan on the lot as a 'loaner' for good customers.

"Wait, Jou!" Hige Katsuya sighed as his impetuous nephew flew out of the shop, car keys in hand. The anxious teen was soon driving away in the silver car, but he wasn't headed towards the hospital- not yet.

He glanced at the neatly hand-written application he'd thrown on the seat next to him. 'Seto listed this as his home address- hope he wasn't lyin'.'

The neighborhood wasn't exactly pleasant, and Jou didn't waste time before knocking on the door of the listed unit.

The door creaked open, and a pair of wide, grey eyes appeared in the gap.

"Jou?!" Mokuba's face was stained with tears, and his eyes had a gaunt stare. He looked distraught beyond all sense. His fingers struggled to unlatch the old pull-chain blocking the door. "W-what are you doing here?!"

Jou tried to give a faint smile as the door opened. "We're gonna visit your brother- I know ya can't see him without someone 'of age,' so I'm gonna drive us there."

Mokuba froze, barely blinking as he took in Jou's words. Then the tween let out a pained sob. He lurched forward and gratefully hugged the lanky blonde's waist. He managed to utter a few 'thank-you's' in between hiccups.

Jou hugged him back, oblivious to the tears staining his shirt. "It's not a problem- now let's get a care package goin', alright? Your brother's gonna need some fresh clothes, and I'm guessin' a toothbrush wouldn' hurt either."

The two anxious boys were able to hastily throw together an 'overnight bag' (really just a moth-eaten dufflebag with some spare clothes shoved inside) before heading out.

As the pair drove in silence, Jou remembered how upset his uncle had seemed. It was probably a bad accident. He tried to speak calmly as he prepared the pre-teen for what lay ahead.

"Now, don' forget, your brother might not look so good right now, but he's gonna get better eventually. The doc said he ain't got nothing that won't heal over time, so just take it easy with the hugs and all, okay?"

Mokuba nodded solemnly. He remained tight-lipped as they reached the Domino General visitor's lot.

Jou parked the car before guiding the anxious tween to the front lobby. A young, red-haired receptionist greeted them both, and Jou told her everything.

"Ah, yes; the patient you're looking for is currently resting in the ICU, room #492, which is on the right side of the fourth floor." She politely explained. "Just be sure to sign in at the main desk before and after your visit."

"Will do." Jou winked at the lady before walking with Mokuba to the elevators. They soon reached the fourth floor, only to find that a doctor was already waiting by the front desk for them.

"My name is Dr. Toshio Ishida. The head receptionist already sent word through our phone system. I'm the on-call physician attending to your elder brother." He gave Mokuba a soft smile as he spoke. "Please, follow me." He held out one arm towards the right hallway, and the trio walked down the eerily stark hall.

"Your brother was struck by an unknown car at a very high speed. He suffered a minor concussion, alongside several other traumas." Dr. Ishida sighed before stating, "I must warn you both: he's under very heavy sedation, and may not be fully coherent." The older man then quietly added to the blonde, "he required approximately 84 stitches, and has several fractures in various locations. He was lucky that he was struck and landed on his side, or else his neck might have snapped."

Jou winced as he imagined what could have happened.

"Ah, here we are- ICU #492. I'll have to ask that you keep your visit brief, as the patient is still recovering and needs rest." Dr. Ishida waited for Jou and Mokuba to both nod in understanding, before he pushed open the white door. "Mr. Kaiba? You have visitors."

The room had several machines surrounding a single hospital bed. A lone figure lay on the sheets, his brunette hair mussed and damp. His skin was covered in deepening bruises, and he had several layers of bandages covering some of his extremities.

"Mokie..." Seto rasped drowsily. Dazed and drugged, the older teen's sapphire eyes were half-lidded.

Normally, Mokuba didn't appreciate Seto using this personal nickname in public. But he hardly cared now- in fact, it was almost comforting to know that the bandaged and bruised patient lying there was still his brother.

"Seto..." The black-haired boy's voice wavered as he stepped up to the white hospital bed. His older brother, the one person who he could rely on, his only family... it was too much, and the distraught tween began sobbing.

The injured brunette slowly extended his left arm and was able to lightly wrap it around his sibling in a half-hug.

Seto Kaiba could count on one hand the number of times he'd cried in the past ten years. Still, silent tears began building in the corners of his eyes. He felt the sparkling orbs begin to fall down his face.

As the two continued to hug, the reclined man suddenly had a strange thought. "Mokuba... how did you even get here? Surely you didn't walk?"

The still crying brother only shook his head before pointing to the blonde standing at the back of the room.

Seto's bandaged jaw nearly dropped in shock. "Wha- Jou? _You_ brought him here?"

Jou nodded once, his own eyes starting to grow misty. "Yeah... I think he needed to see ya."

Normally, the elder Kaiba would be annoyed that Mokuba had accepted a ride from a dubious driver... but he at the moment, he just couldn't help but feel a bit more grateful than concerned. He almost felt a smile drifting across his face, but it was broken by a sudden yawn.

"Eh?" Mokuba stared at his sibling. "Seto, are you alright?"

"I think... I could use some more sleep..." The tired patient railed off as he suddenly closed his eyes.

"Seto? Seto?!" Mokuba began nervously calling, but Dr. Ishida quickly placed one hand on the tween's shoulder.

"There's no need to worry; his breathing is fine and his heart-rate is steady." He gestured to the monitors beside the bed, which all were all quietly recording normal readings. "Don't forget, his body is dealing with both the healing of his injuries, and the large amounts of drugs we've introduced to his system. He's really doing quite well, but as I mentioned before; he does need rest." The doctor spoke the last line rather pointedly, and Jou got the hint.

"Alright, squirt, I think we should let your brother have some quiet time." He pointed with one thumb at the now dozing patient. "Why don't we go grab a bite somewhere, and then we'll come back, okay?"

But Dr. Ishida shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't be possible- visiting hours are only until 7 PM today. But you're welcome to come back tomorrow."

"Ah, ok. Well, looks like we're on our own for this evening. Thanks for everythin', Dr. Ishida." Jou shook hands with the professional.

"Not a problem- I will, of course, inform you of any status changes; but in the meantime the only thing I can recommend is that you both try to remain calm, and trust our professionals. We are the highest rated ward in this prefecture, after all." The physician added with a note of pride.

"Will do." The blonde teen nodded. "You almost ready to go, kid?"

"One minute!" Mokuba leaned closer to his sleeping sibling, before quietly promising, "good night, Seto. Tomorrow will be better." He then followed his 'temporary caregiver' back to the crowded visitor's parking lot.


	7. Chapter 7

An awkward silence fell over the two visitors as they made their way back to the parking lot. Jou didn't want to pressure the obviously distressed tween, and Mokuba was lost in his own thoughts. Neither spoke until they'd crossed the highway. Jou kept his eyes on the road as he tried to engage the despondent passenger. "So, where do you wanna go to grab a bite?"

Mokuba kept his own gaze fixed out the side-door window. The skyscrapers of Domino City passed by in a blur of towering steel. They seemed unusually cold and imposing against the setting sun.

"I'm not very hungry."

"Me neither, but I don't think your big brother would be very happy if I let ya starve." Jou suddenly saw a familiar sign, and he put on the car's right turn signal. "So let's swing by Burger World, an' I'll order some fries. You can take as many as ya like, an' if you don' feel hungry, I'll finish them! Alright?"

Mokuba smiled sadly before nodding only one time. "Alright."

"Hey, come on, don' forget what I toldja- he might not look like a beauty queen right now, but he's gonna be fine."

A grin finally broke out on the tweenager's face and he smirked as he replied: "I'm gonna tell Seto you said that!"

"Oh yeah? And what's he gonna do, make me eat hospital food?" Jou stuck his tongue out in playful rebellion just as they reached the 'Burger World' parking lot. The blonde teen easily guided the 'rental' car into the first open space.

Despite his claims that he wasn't 'very hungry,' the pre-teen managed to devour half of Jou's fries before they'd even found an empty table. Jou ended up buying the kid his own burger and a drink as well. He was pleased that the raven-haired youth was finally relaxed enough to eat. But when they had each gotten a large milkshake for desert, Jou had to laugh and remind the kid to take it easy.

"Whoa, slow down there, short stop! You're gonna freeze your brains if you drink tha' all in one gulp!"

Mokuba looked up from his chocolate shake, a somewhat pouting look on his face. "Hey, I'm not that short! Besides, I'm a growing boy."

Jou snorted in good humor. He had a feeling the kid was sensitive about his height, likely due to the stark contrast between himself and his elder brother. Two amber eyes blinked in realization. 'Although, given how tall Seto is, I'm guessin' Mokuba's gonna do a lot more growin' in the future!' The auto worker was soon distracted as, sure enough, the smaller Kaiba began squinting his grey eyes as he was hit with a massive case of brain freeze.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow!" The younger of the duo winced and held onto the top of his head, his dark hair splaying all over. Jou raised an eyebrow, as if he was dying to comment. This led Mokuba to stick his frozen tongue out in defiance. "Don't you dare say 'I told you so!'"

The blonde only smirked as he took a (very modest) sip of his own strawberry shake. "Whatever you say, Frosty."

After the brain freeze eventually wore off, Jou was able to drop the grateful tween back off at his apartment. Jou gave the kid his cell number and made him promise to call if he needed anything. "Don' forget, he's gonna be fine, but it's gonna take a few days before he can head home. If anythin' comes up, give me or the shop a holler, awright?"

Mokuba nodded, a brave smile now covering his face. "Thanks, Jounouchi."

"No problem; now go get ready for school tomorrow, and take care!"

The black-haired Kaiba waved as the lanky high-schooler left. It wasn't easy coming home to an empty apartment...

...but knowing that he and Seto had a friend like Jou definitely helped.

Three days later, Seto Kaiba was finally given the order to be discharged from the hospital following Dr. Ishida's approval.

A nurse in teal scrubs was just heading into room #492 when Mokuba and Jou stepped off the elevator. The two visitors didn't see the wheelchair the orderly was pushing, and they were both caught off-guard when they finally stepped inside Seto's room.

Evidently the drugs were wearing off, and Seto Kaiba was far more cognizant. Unfortunately, this also led to him being more stubborn as well.

"I can walk." The terse brunette gruffly informed the nurse. The bemused orderly seemed unsure of what to do- apparently Dr. Ishida didn't want the patient walking down four flights of stairs. But the irritated invalid kept pushing the chair aside whenever it came close enough.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but it's required-!" The young nurse was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of another orderly. This time it was a very muscular man in his mid-twenties, by the looks of it. And he certainly didn't seem pleased to have a belligerent outpatient hassling his coworker.

Without a word, the thin teen was swiftly forced into the wheelchair by the new arrival. The teal-scrubbed man only remarked, "Hospital policy," before he left the room.

Frustrated but clearly thwarted, the brunette didn't say anything as Dr. Ishida stepped into room #492.

"Ah, all ready to go, I see! Wonderful- I'll see you to the elevator, but this sheet-" the doctor handed Seto a thickly-worded page, "-should cover everything! Of course, if you have any more questions, you can always call the bold number at the bottom, or you can ask for my personal line here."

The quiet teen only nodded as he was wheeled into the hall by the first nurse. Mokuba stepped in pace with the moving chair, while Jou kept a few feet behind the nurse and Dr. Ishida.

Bored with all the medical talk, Seto suddenly turned to his younger brother, an odd expression on his face. "You know, Mokuba; last night, I had the strangest dream- we were still back at the orphanage, and things were really bad... but then this weird billionaire came looking for a replacement son, because his own son was nearly killed in a car crash, and then he had his brain transferred into a computer program. So I challenged the man to a chess game, and even though he was a world-renowned champion, I won."

Mokuba gave Jou a confused look, but the blonde only shrugged in bewilderment.

" _But_ I only won because I cheated, so you weren't thrilled about it. But then we went to live in his mansion, and one day I took over his international company and turned it from selling military weaponry to children's toys."

Jou frowned and quietly asked the other brother, "how d'ya even cheat in chess?"

Mokuba shook his head, just as confused. "I don't think it's even possible, unless the other person looks away or something..."

"He was under **very** heavy sedation." Dr. Ishida casually reminded the pair. "But don't worry, he should be lucid enough as he heals. Just keep him on bed rest for a full week, and then only minor exercise for the first month."

'Sh*t.' Seto's face seemed calm as usual, but inside, he was panicking. How could he take care of Mokuba when he was supposed to be on bed-rest? He still wasn't sure if he'd still have a job when he was finally allowed to leave his apartment...

Concerns darkened his mind as the group reached the elevator. He gave a brief word of 'thanks' to Dr. Ishida, and a slight nod towards the still-curious nurse. Soon it was only the three younger males in the elevator- Jou with his hands on the wheelchair handles, and Mokuba standing next to his seated sibling.

Seto blinked as he suddenly realized- he hadn't even thought of how they were going to get back to their apartment that evening. He held back a sigh as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

'I suppose we can take a cab- I forgot how much is in my wallet; I better have Mokuba call the company while I discreetly count the bills-'

"Jou offered to drive us home!" Mokuba suddenly pointed out as the sleek elevator doors slid shut.

"That's... nice." As friendly as the guy acted, Seto couldn't help but be a little suspicious of someone so willing to help out a near-stranger.

Jou gave a good-natured shrug. "Eh, it's not a big deal; Uncle usually lends out the Mazda to any customers or coworkers that need it. But in this case, it also comes with a chauffeur!" He smirked and gave a cheesy 'thumbs-up' as he spoke.

Seto rolled his eyes before instructing his brother in a low stage whisper: _"_ _Don't_ _give him a tip."_

"Hey!"

Mokuba snorted as the two older teens began bickering and bantering back-and-forth. 'Oh sure, and _I'm_ the kid here... I just hope Jou doesn't drop Seto when it's time to get him from the chair to the car!'


	8. Chapter 8

_"Jou offered to drive us home!" Mokuba suddenly pointed out as the sleek elevator doors slid shut._

 _"That's... nice." As friendly as the guy seemed, Seto couldn't help but be a little suspicious of someone so willing to help out a near-stranger._

 _Jou gave a good-natured shrug. "Eh, it's not a big deal; Uncle usually lends out the Mazda to any customers or coworkers that need it. But in this case, it also comes with a chauffeur!" He smirked and gave a cheesy 'thumbs-up' as he spoke._

 _Seto rolled his eyes before instructing his brother in a low stage whisper:_ _ _"__ _ _Don't__ _ _give him a tip."__

 _"Hey!"_

 _Mokuba snorted as the two older teens began bickering and bantering back-and-forth. 'Oh sure, and_ ** _ _I'm__** _the kid here... I just hope Jou doesn't drop Seto when it's time to get him from the chair to the car!'_

Thankfully, Mokuba's fears weren't realized, as Jou helped him carefully guide his bandaged sibling into the passenger seat.

The ride back was fairly quiet- Jou was a decent driver, which rather surprised the older teen. Seto watched the blonde casually guiding the silver sedan across multiple highway lanes. 'Hn... still, I'll need to have a talk with Mokuba later about accepting rides from strange men...'

Less than half an hour later, the unusual trio had reached the dilapidated apartment complex where the brothers lived. But rather than leave, Jou even helped his recovering co-worker and his younger brother up the steps to their unit.

"All set?" The 'chauffeur' kindly asked as Mokuba turned the rusted lock and opened the door.

"We'll be fine!" The black-haired pre-teen promised cheerfully. Evidently the promise of not spending another night on his own was upping the kid's mood.

But Jou didn't look convinced. "You sure you don't want me to order you guys a pizza or somethin'?"

"We have our own meal planned." Seto replied curtly. Ordering out was expensive, and he'd made an effort to buy the best ingredients possible as soon as he'd gotten his first paycheck from 'Uncle Hige.'

Jou gave a slight tilt of his head as he pointedly added, "er, okay... but can ya cook? I mean, the doc seemed pretty strict about you restin' and stayin' off yer feet..."

Seto felt like face-palming when he realized the absurdity of his previous statement. If he wasn't supposed to stand for more than a few minutes at a time, _of course_ he wouldn't be able to cook. And he didn't want Mokuba handling things in the kitchen unsupervised, either.

Reluctantly, the brunette bowed his head and uttered a phrase he'd never even imagined speaking. "I... suppose we could use a helping hand with tonight's meal..."

Jou happily agreed, and Mokuba led Seto to the old couch to set him up. He fluffed the worn throw pillows as best he could around his lanky sibling. "There! Is that comfortable, big brother?"

"That's fine, Mokuba- wait, what's that smell?" The Kaibas both scrunched their noses at the foul stench now emanating from the tiny kitchenette.

Apparently, despite his own insatiable appetite, Jou was _far_ from a master chef.

"Oops!" The blonde grinned sheepishly as he scraped the remains of... _something_ into the trash. "That came out a little darker than intended..."

Seto struggled to hold his tongue as the destroyed food was tossed out. 'We're all gonna starve.'

"Looks like we might hafta grab some take-out... you guys like Chinese?" Jou glanced toward the reclining outpatient as he dug out his cell phone. But before Seto could retort, he was interrupted by a third voice.

"I can cook." Mokuba proudly declared.

"Eh? You sure about that?" Jou eyed the black-haired tween with suspicion. Seto felt himself growing annoyed- why was the blonde being so stubborn when the food he'd just disposed of was darker than Mokuba's hair?!

"Yep!"

"Well, if it's okay with your big brother..." The blonde glanced meaningfully towards the resting teen.

'Oh, he was just being cautious... hm.' Seto nodded once before adding: "Mokuba's very good in the kitchen."

Jou broke into a grin and turned back to the younger brother. "Awright then, what's the firs' rule of cookin'?"

"Always wash your hands first!" Mokuba quickly exclaimed.

Jou blanched before laughing embarrassedly. "Er, right! An' what's the _second_ rule?"

Seto nearly facepalmed. '...I'm going to die by the tainted hands of 'Typhoid Joey' over here...' He watched with trepidation as the two younger males began preparing a basic meal of pasta and salad.

The two unhindered males eventually struck up a small conversation as they worked, with Seto half-listening in.

"So Mokuba- you're in fourth grade now, right? Do you have any good teachers?"

"Yeah, it's ok- I like my science and math teachers, but our gym teacher's a pain!" The pre-teen pulled a face as he helped fill the pasta pot with uncooked noodles. "He thinks we should all have more muscles than brains!"

Jou laughed as he moved the pot to the old stove-top. "I guess he forgets you can exercise both!"

Mokuba nodded as he returned to the fridge. After a moment of digging, the boy came back out of the chilly appliance holding an apple and some sandwich meats. Jou seemed bewildered by the tween's additional fare- surely the kid wasn't _that_ hungry?!

Catching the blonde's look, Mokuba grinned and pulled a flattened paper bag out of another drawer. "I usually make my lunch for school around this time, too- that way I don't forget later." He opened the bag with a flourish before dropping in the apple.

"Oh, gotcha!" Jou checked the uneven cabinet doors, and soon found some fresh bread for the grade-schooler's sandwich.

Though the haze of the hospital's drugs was wearing off, Seto Kaiba still felt a bit disjointed as he lay on the battered couch. 'I hope I can eat without my stomach rejecting things... although I suppose the chances of that were greatly lessened once Jou surrendered his position as 'head chef.'' Despite his wounds, the brunette let out a faint snicker of amusement. 'But at least he's doing well with supervising- I suppose I owe the goof quite a bit of gratitude...'

The bruised man sighed as he tried to relax. His mind began wandering as he hazily listened in on the two 'kitchen workers.'

He was rather surprised by Jou's next inquiry.

"So... are there any _girls_ in your class?"

Mokuba didn't seem to catch the blonde's drift, and he shrugged. "Uh, yeah? It's a public school, so we're integrated..."

"Oh-ho?" Jou teased as he placed a chocolate pudding cup inside the paper lunch bag. "And are any of them _cute_?"

Seto nearly snorted- he knew Mokuba was still in the 'girls are icky' stage, and he didn't-

"...maybe."

Two blue eyes blinked in disbelief. 'Wait, what?!'

Mokuba's face was slightly flushed as he looked aside- clearly, he had a crush.

"Ah, I see- then, here!" Jou suddenly tossed an extra dessert pack and a spare disposable spoon into the lunch bag.

"Huh?" The preteen glanced at the take-along meal in confusion. "Jou, why'd you put two pudding cups in there?"

"Simple- your _absentminded_ -brother over there threw in an extra one while making your lunch, and you're just _too full_ to finish two cups by yourself!" The blonde winked at the black-haired boy, but only received a blank stare in response.

"Huh?!"

"The _best_ way to get closer to a girl is to talk to her. The _second_ best way is chocolate. An' this- is  both!" Jou grinned as the younger brother caught on.

"So, then I'd have a reason to sit and talk with her..." Two grey eyes blinked in stunned realization. "Jou, you're a _**genius**_!"

'Surely words that have rarely been spoken... but the dog does have a point...' Seto frowned. His only sibling was growing up far faster than he'd realized.

Seto really wasn't looking forward to 'the talk.' He'd never had an interest in girls, and the internet was rather... trollish when it came to information on _that_ particular subject.

'Just another headache along the road ahead...' but the elder teen pushed aside such negative thoughts as Mokuba eagerly brought him a plate full of pasta and a small salad bowl. Thankfully, the outpatient's stomach was mostly quelled by the time they all tucked in (Jou and Mokuba sat at the small table not far from the patient) and everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.

"I haven'th had thith much pastha in ages!" Mokuba happily declared through a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Hey, hey; don't talk with yer mouth full- you could choke!" Jou warned playfully. "An' then you'd have the lamest obituary of all time- 'Boy chokes on oodles of noodles!'"

"Better than 'Man crushed by vending machine!'"

"What?!" The auto worker snorted as he insisted, "don't be silly, that's never happened!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

The outpatient sighed as he listened to the younger males playfully bickering back-and-forth. 'I suppose tonight could have gone a lot worse...' The exhausted teen gave a faint yawn. Seto Kaiba felt his mind begin to slow down as he sank into some much-needed sleep. 'At least the dog can be trusted... though just not with a skillet...' The brunette drifted off, leaving Mokuba and Jou to finish off the remaining pasta.


	9. Chapter 9

Jou left the complex shortly after he helped Mokuba wash and dry the dishes. Yet the entire time, Seto Kaiba snored on- his mind and body fully exhausted. Though the prescription pain-killers helped, there was no denying that he was still far from '100%' again.

The next day came quickly, with the elder brother still confined to the couch while Mokuba went to his classes. In accordance with Seto's instructions, Mokuba waited for Jou to swing by after classes so they could walk back together after school. "I don' wanna see you two in matchin' casts!" The blonde teasingly proclaimed when Seto first proposed the idea. Sure, he gave a token protest for his 'independence', but Mokuba was secretly very glad for the company. He was still rather distressed by his brother's horrendous accident. When Jou showed up outside the middle school, he was carrying a rather long, worn box; but he didn't explain what was inside the parcel right away. So the two young adults walked side-by-side, casually discussing Mokuba's day.

"-and Ms. Yamamoto, the art teacher? She says she's gonna be taking maternity leave in a few weeks!"

Jou tilted his head, unsure of the Japanese norms regarding childcare and careers. "Huh, so she's plannin' on comin' back afterwards?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Mokuba seemed a little confused by the concept of someone trading their career to become a housewife.

"Well, sometimes the baby needs extra care, and the mom decides to stay home a little longer. Besides, what if the baby comes out lookin' more like your principal than her _husband?_ " Jou added jokingly as he shifted the box from one arm to the other.

" _Ewww!_ " Mokuba laughed as he added his protests. "Jou, that's too _gross_! Our principal's really, _really_ old!"

"What, you think a baby can't be born with a lil' cane and a white beard?! Heck, it'll already be in diapers!"

The two boys were still cracking jokes as they headed up the dilapidated steps of the Kaiba's apartment complex. They'd just reached the landing outside their tattered unit when Mokuba unleashed a gem of his own: "No wonder my brother thinks you're immature!"

"Oh? He thinks _I'm_ immature?!" Jou mockingly declared while Mokuba giggled. "Then I guess I'll have to get out some whoopee cushions and water balloons and show him what immaturity _really_ looks like!"

A stern voice suddenly called from the other side of the aging door: _"_ _Don't even_ _think_ _about it."_

Jou's expression flipped to instant embarrassment while Mokuba fumbled with the lock. "Oops, guess we were kinda loud..." He quickly set the strange package just beside the door, confident no one would nab such a shabby-looking box.

"What do you mean, 'we'?!" Mokuba added with a final snort as the pair stepped inside. "Seto, we're home!"

"So I heard." The brunette seemed more annoyed than usual as he glanced at Jou. "And I would appreciate if you would avoid instilling any childish antics in my little brother."

Jou grinned and pulled a mock salute. "I'll do my best to only instill teenage antics, then, Sir!"

'...why do I bother?' Seto groaned as his back gave a painful twinge. "Mokuba, I think it's time for my next round of meds- could you bring me a cup of water?"

"Sure, Seto!"

Meanwhile, Jou wandered over the worn couch, looking over the injured giant. "Hey, how's the pain level?" The chestnut-eyed mechanic casually inquired.

"Hm, I find your presence somewhat tolerable." The elder Kaiba gave a fake pause before adding, "or were you referring to my injuries?"

"Hah-hah." Jou flatly replied. "With wit like that, it's hard to see why someone'd wanna hit ya with their car."

"Just my luck, I suppose." Seto noticed his younger brother heading into the kitchen to find a cup. "By the way, how was the walk home?"

Jou lowered his voice. "We didn' see anybody, if that's what yer askin'."

"Hm." The outpatient let out a rough sigh of displeasure. "I really should be the one taking him to and from school."

"Yeah, but seein' as how your last match between a Subaru didn't end so well, I don' mind filling in."

"And why is that?"

"'Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, _why_ are you doing all of this?"

"Eh?" Two chestnut-tinted eyes blinked in bewilderment. "Is- isn't it obvious? I'm tryin' to help. I know what it's like to be in a bad situation, an' you guys are cool." Jou's eyes darkened slightly. "'Sides, I know what it's like to get the tar beat out of ya on a regular basis- no kid should hafta go through that."

'A _regular_ basis?' Seto frowned at that statement, but was soon distracted by his brother's return.

"Here's your meds, Seto! And here's the water!"

The grateful teen quickly gulped down the various painkillers and antibiotics. "Thanks, Mokuba."

"Oh! That reminds me, Jou has something from his Uncle for you!" The blonde nodded before heading towards the shabby front door.

'For me?' Seto felt a letdown coming and hid his expression behind the water cup. 'Probably a pink-slip...'

But when Jou slid the long, battered box inside the room, Seto could see that it read 'Axis Windshield Wipers.'

Both brothers gave the foreign-born teen an odd look, and he caught on. "Oh! I jus' grabbed the box from storage, since they're kinda awkward to walk with-" After a few moments of wrestling with one of the top flaps, Jou pulled a pair of lightly-worn crutches from the makeshift container. "-unless ya know how to use 'em properly! Ta-da!" The amateur mechanic nearly jumped to show the metal-and-rubber devices to the laid-up teen. "Uncle broke his leg on a patch of ice two years ago, an' he said you could borrow these! Well, unless he breaks the other one, somehow."

Mokuba gave a brief chuckle at that last part, while his brother glanced over the medical aids.

"Hmm... that was very thoughtful of him..." Seto seemed to be thoroughly inspecting the (surprisingly lightly-used) crutches. "The rubber tips are hardly even scuffed- did he even try these?"

Jou laughed while rubbing the back of his head. "Well, ya know how stubborn he is- th' doctor practically had to hit him upside the head wit' one before he even-"

The trio was interrupted by a faint sound coming from one of the blonde's denim pants pockets.

"Oops, hang on a sec; my cell's ringing." Jou quickly fished a modest smart-phone from his jeans and deftly answered it. "Hello, Jou-"

Seto and Mokuba both nearly jumped when they heard the voice of an older woman screeching in English blasting out of the tiny speaker. _**"WHERE IS SHE?!"**_

Jou instantly switched to English, leaving Mokuba to look between him and Seto in confusion. "Wha- Ma, calm down. What're ya talkin' about?"

The voice continued screaming, but it was so fast and high-pitched that the elder brother could barely make out more than a few words. 'Sounds like trouble- someone's run away-?'

Meanwhile, Jou's face drained of all color as he listened to the shrieking woman. "Whoa- _whoa_ \- _**wait**_ \- yer sayin' Shizuka's _missing_?! Wha' happened?!"

Though she was no longer screeching, the woman was now speaking in a loud and sarcastic tone. _"_ _What happened_ _is that I married some useless drunk, and_ _I gave him_ _a pathetic son before he died!_ _And now that wretched_ _excrement_ _has gone and misled my perfect daughter!_

Seto felt a tiny bit of fury building in his chest- those weren't words a mother should ever use towards her offspring.

"Look, Ma, the closest airport is LaGuardia- why not head over there with a picture of her so security can stop her if they see her?" Jou's demeanor was surprisingly calm and logical, despite the nasty howls emanating from the other end.

There was a sound of rustling, like someone putting on a winter coat. "Tch- I'm heading there now! And you're never going to speak to her _again_ after this! _You hear me?!_ " There was a loud 'click'! as the phone was violently slammed back onto the receiver.

Despondent and distracted, Jou sullenly muttered to himself, "I think all of _Brooklyn_ heard ya, **ma**..."

Mokuba could only blink- he'd learned a bit of English from school, but Jou's heavy accent and the woman's screeching made it nearly impossible to interpret.

"Well, that was interesting." Seto added in perfect English. He didn't particularly want Mokuba to know what he was saying. "I take it that charming woman is your mother?"

Jou nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah... aw, geez... Shizuka... what were you _thinking?!_ "

Seto briefly remembered his co-worker mentioning that name before, but he'd forgotten the context. "Shizuka is your... cousin?"

The blonde shook his head from side-to-side, barely noticing that he was still speaking English. "My lil' sister... she's goin' through her early teens, and apparently she got the crazy idea in her head to try and see me..."

"But, isn't she with her mother in New York?"

"She was- but now ma can' find her, and she thinks _I_ did somethin'." The rowan-eyed teen groaned as he sat on the worn carpeting and put his head between his hands. "Crap, I hope she isn' _really_ tryin' to travel to Japan!"

There was little the two brothers could do to comfort the nervous blonde, so they waited in silence for Jou's phone to ring again. Roughly twenty minutes passed before the familiar ring-tone sounded. Jou instantly answered in English, but this time a deep, male voice sounded from the other end. "Hello? Yes, that's me... oh... so she's- yes. That's great- thank heavens. Yes; thank you, officer. G'bye." Clearly relieved, the lanky teen paused before dropping the phone back in his pocket. "They stopped her at the airport- she looked young enough to need parental consent to fly alone, and she didn't have any official paperwork or a passport; just a credit card and some note that mom had signed for her regarding a school field trip."

Seto switched back to English as well. "And you had to hear that from the local police- _why_? Why didn't your mother tell you herself?"

Mokuba felt annoyed that he was being so intentionally left out, but he was clever enough to sense that this might be a more 'adult' conversation than Seto wanted him to hear. So the younger student remained quiet as Jou responded. "Because then she'd have to admit that I had nothing to do wit' this, and that it was my idea that saved the day." He gave a rather harsh bark of a laugh as he added: "plus, she'd rather slowly burn to death in a fresh pool of molten lava than admit that she's not a 'perfect parent'."

"Sounds like your father started drinking for more than one reason."

Jou managed a faint snort at that remark. "Maybe. I dunno- she wasn't so bad before he lost his job... but either way, I don' care. Shizuka's safe now, an' that's enough for me."

"Hm." Seto had a few more thoughts on the matter, but decided to keep his (still bruised) nose out of things. 'Is she really safe with that witch of a mother?'

As if he'd read the other young adult's mind, the foreign mechanic added: "for some reason, ma got really angry at me when dad went... y'know. I think she sees him in me, like I'm a wicked little clone or somethin'. So she's always trying to 'protect' Shizuka from me by limiting how much time we get to talk or message each other."

"A foolish sentiment- I doubt you're anything like your father."

Jou's eyes suddenly seemed to burst with emotion, and he seemed dazed for a moment. "...yeah..."

Growing bored, the shortest member of the trio headed into the kitchen to start supper. 'Sheesh, now I know why Seto wanted me to focus on my other studies besides English _first_ \- this way he can say whatever he wants without me knowing!'

Both of the taller males watched as the raven-haired tween left the room. Jou lowered his voice as he added, "I know it's bad, but a part of me kinda wishes I could've seen her again..."

"Not sure it's 'bad' to want to see your only sibling." Seto matched the other's softer tone. "Maybe natural, or even somewhat selfish, but 'bad'? I doubt it."

"Hmm." Two rowan-hued orbs blinked in thought. "Hey, if ya don' mind my askin'... was there ever a time where you were separated from Mokuba?"

"Almost." The brown-haired invalid closed his eyes as he thought back to the worst days of his life. "They wanted to split us up shortly after we were set to go into foster care. It wasn't easy, but I managed to sneak into the head office and mess with the computer orders enough to keep us from being torn apart."

"Whoa, so you were like a vigilante hacker?!" Jou's eyes grew large with excitement. "That's awesome!"

"If it hadn't been such a dire situation, yes; I might've felt more pride. But I was too distraught at the time to think about what I was doing- I just knew that I had to."

"Still, that's amazin'!"

"Call it what you like. I'm just glad I was able to stick with my brother."

"..." Jou fell silent, clearly reflecting on his own sibling situation.

In a rare moment of empathy, Kaiba quietly added: "I think your sister was trying to do the same thing- crossing an ocean just to be with you is no small feat. She must be quite brave."

"She's incredible- brave, smart, and super kind." A single tear fell down the blonde's cheek. "I jus' wish it wasn't so impossible for me to see her growin' up- maybe givin' her advice, or threatenin' any guys who bug her..."

The older Kaiba's face fell flat. "For a moment there, you had an astonishingly profound concept... and then you added that last phrase."

The blonde grew defensive, his eyes losing some of their usual charm. "Hey, what can I say? I know how mos' guys that age act, an' I don' want them takin' advantage of her sweet -an'-helpful nature!"

"Yes, well; something tells me your mother might scare them away before you get the chance."

Jou let out a faint noise of amusement. "Ya gotta point there... still, it'd be nice if I could help."

"Sounds like you just did earlier today."

"Yeah..." The pair remained silent until Mokuba pointedly asked Jou for his help with the largest frying skillet. "Whoops, my people need me!"

The blonde then held his arms out like a superhero in flight and ran around the room making 'whooshing' noises. Seto only rolled his eyes as 'Super Jou' flew into the kitchen, though he could hear the dork teasing Mokuba about his 'abilities.' Which led to a long argument between the two younger males over whether or not 'being tall' was a genuine superpower.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day played out in much the same manner, though Jou surprised the brothers with an extra-large pizza from a local parlor for dinner.

"Hey, you've been feedin' my endless stomach for a few days now; 'bout time I returned the favor!"

To which neither of the Kaiba siblings protested. The fresh pie was much appreciated, and dinner was over fairly quickly with no dishes to clean. Seto had drifted off not long after Jou polished off the last slice of pepperoni. Meanwhile, Mokuba had excused himself, saying he needed to grab something from one of the local shops. This left Jou to look after the 'Sleeping Beauty' all by himself. The blonde glanced over the still heavily-bruised teen and let out a 'huff' of boredom. It wasn't much fun, looking after someone who couldn't even carry a conversation. Jou glanced thoughtfully at the deeply-unconscious teen, the wheels of boredom churning out some devilish ideas. 'Hmm... I wonder how mad he'd be if I Sharpie'd somethin' on his face-' The mischievous blonde smirked as some ideas came to mind. 'I could draw somethin' really crude- like a-'

 _*BZZZZ! BZZZZ! BZZZZ!*_

Jou nearly yelped as his cell phone began buzzing against the tattered table. "Ack!" He quickly grasped the shaking device, not eager to see Seto's reaction to being awoken during his daily 'recovery' time.

"Yo, who's this? Oh, hey Mokuba; what's up? Yer big bro's still snoozing like a baby; so I figured I'd let him rest while-" But Jou was surprised when he realized that the voice on the other end was barely holding back a sob. "Eh-? Mokuba? What's wrong? Where are you?!"

" _I-I'm at the Neotaro Gaming Shop on Inari Avenue- c-can you come get me? I need help!"_

"I'm on my way!" Jou quickly hung up the mobile device. But in his haste, he failed to put the phone back in his pocket. Instead, he simply dropped the device on the battered end table, where it sat, well within the sleeping techie's reach...

It wasn't hard to find the Neotaro Gaming Shop- it was pretty famous among the younger crowd as being the go-to spot for anything collectible. However, the countless signs plastered on the front door only supported the place's other main claim of repute. The store's owner was said to be a very distrusting old hag who _hated_ children- and judging by the front entrance, those rumors were true. Jou warily glanced over the overlapping signs.

 _' **No Loitering** \- By Order of Domino Police!' _

_'Shoplifters **Will** Be Prosecuted!'_

 _'We Arrest **Vandals**!'_

 _'Skateboards, Wheeled-Shoes, and Rollerblades **ALL** Prohibited!'_

 _' **No** Spray Paint, Canister String, or Chalk Allowed On This Property!' _

'Yeesh, talk about a paranoid shopkeeper!' Jou shook his head as he reached for the aging door handle. 'I've seen juvenile detention halls with more invitin' entrances! Guess the rumors are true 'bout her hating anythin' to do with kids.' His right hand paused just before touching the worn brass knob.

'She sure picked the wrong profession to go into, then- but Mokuba's always so polite, and well-behaved. Why on Earth would she have gone off on him?' Bewildered, Jou finally opened the shop door and rapped his knuckles against the wooden door frame. "Yo! Anybody here?" He figured whatever was going on had to be a case of mistaken identity; or some other easily-corrected gaff.

"Jou?!" A scared voice called to him from behind a display of strategic board games.

"Mokuba?" A few aisles over, the front register of the small shop came into Jou's view. His hopes of a swift resolution plummeted when he saw that the aging proprietor was holding Mokuba's right wrist in a death-grip.

The wrinkled merchant sneered at the newest entrant, her eyes glimmering with malice. "Ha! So _you're_ the big brother, eh?! Took your sweet time in getting here, didn't you?! Well it doesn't matter- I caught this miserable crook trying to steal from my stock!" She gestured pointedly towards a single booster pack of trading cards resting on the counter. "Filthy little whelp thought he could just slip right past the register and I wouldn't notice! Well, I'm not blind yet, _stupid brat_!" She nearly spat in the terrified boy's face as he squirmed uncomfortably.

Jou decided not to correct the furious crone, and instead turned to look into his 'brother's' face. One look into his wide, hazel-grey eyes was enough for Jou to know that Mokuba was guilty as charged.

Taking in a deep breath, the elder teen decided it was time for a show of force. He inhaled deeply, puffing up his chest while also drawing back his shoulders. The effect made him look even taller and far larger. Jou's demeanor also changed, and he loudly rounded on the crabby shopkeeper. "So hold on- you're accusin' my little brother of _**theft**_?!" He glared at the shriveled old fusspot, making full use of his height and tone. "That's a _very_ serious accusation!" The owner tried to interrupt, but he steamed-rolled right over her voice with his own. " _Has he ever taken anything before?_ Did he make it clear he had no intention to pay? How do you know he wasn't still shopping? _Why on Earth_ would anyone try to steal a _single_ card pack?!" Jou's rapid-fire questions seemed to catch the old crone off guard, and she stuttered for a moment before responding.

"He's no good! They're all bad; these modern, rotten vermin! He's a thieving little urchin, and he needs to be punished for it!"

"And you're a biased old witch, attacking random kids for allegedly stealin' from you! I'd heard rumors of this shop being run by a nasty hag, but I was _hopin'_ they were exaggerated! Apparently not!"

"He has no money!" She pointed rudely at the boy's face, ignoring the tears now flowing from his eyes. A faint whimper escaped his lips as she tugged harshly on his arm. "You're not a customer if you don't have money!"

But Jou only raised his volume to a nearly-deafening level. "He's been talking non-stop about the latest card craze, and I specifically gave him enough cash to purchase one item– it seems in his excitement over finally getting his first pack, he forgot to hand it to you. A youthful mistake, but certainly no excuse for _child abuse!_ " He pointed angrily at Mokuba's now reddening wrist.

The business woman noticed this, and hastily let go of the smaller arm. Still, she gave the raven-haired tween a nasty look before stubbornly repeating, "he _said_ he doesn't have any money!"

"Do you _**really**_ think my brother would walk into a storefront without any sort of payment?! Now you're accusing him of being a thief AND a fool?!" Jou then glanced downwards and spoke more kindly towards the terrified boy. "I saw what you did when I gave it to you earlier- you folded it in half and put it in your right pocket, remember?"

Too nervous to speak, Mokuba quietly reached one trembling hand into his front-most uniform pocket. He blinked in confusion as he pulled out a perfectly folded note.

Somehow, Jou had managed to slip a large bill inside the youth's front pocket without either of the others noticing. After a quick nod from the blonde, Mokuba placed the bill on the counter while Jou grabbed the booster pack.

"Keep the change- we _won't_ be back." And he firmly marched out the door, guiding Mokuba with one hand on his back. The shopkeeper made some protesting noises, but they were ignored by the pair as they stepped back outside.

The elderly store owner let a disapproving huff, but decided the potential risk to her business wasn't worth the hassle. She didn't need to fuel those horrid rumors over some possible misunderstanding, and it was hard to enough to prove things since the shop's CCTV system went on the fritz. 'I must get that wretchedly expensive device fixed- tch- that last repairman was so touchy; walking out just because I called him a 'lazy, over-charging b*stard!' A bunch of crooks, that's what they all are!"

Meanwhile, the 'brotherly' pair made their way up the street together. As soon as they were over a block away, Jou rounded on the still-sniffling tween. "Mokuba, just what was that about?" His tone was calm, but eerily flat.

Mokuba managed to quell his sobs as he stuttered: "u-um, all the kids at school are p-playing this new card game that just came out... it's really fun, but you have to buy the cards first..." He tried explaining to his rowan-eyed rescuer.

Jou sighed, his face growing slightly softer, though his voice was still full of disapproval. "Mokuba, yer big brother has done everythin _'_ short of _sellin' his_ _own_ _kidney_ _s_ _on the black market_ to keep you two together. How d'ya think he'd feel if you got thrown into juvie over a three-dollar pack of trading cards?!"

The black-haired youth sniffled again. "I-I just wanted to be part of the group... I never get to fit in."

Those words seemed to reach the towering blonde, and for a moment neither outcast spoke. Then Jou

sighed and knelt downwards; one ripped, denim-covered knee resting on the concrete. "Look, I **know** it's hard not growin' up with everything'- _believe_ _me_ , I get it. But a few pieces of cardboard ain't worth throwing your future away, an' I'm disappointed that you didn't think 'bout that first. You're a bright kid, an' you know your brother expects better of ya." He tilted his head thoughtfully and faintly smiled. "Matter of fact, so do I."

"I know..." Dejected, Mokuba wiped his hazel-grey eyes on the back of his uniform sleeve. "Are you gonna tell him?"

"That depends. Did'ja learn your lesson?" Mokuba nodded frantically, and Jou finally broke out in a grin. "Then I don' see a need to- BUT!" He added sharply, raising one hand in promise. "If you EVER pull a stunt like this again- EVER!- I'll tell him _EVERYTHING_ \- got it?"

Mokuba's face was more serious as he nodded only once. "Got it!"

The small game shop faded in the distance as the unusual duo made their way back towards the apartment. They mostly marched in silence, but Mokuba spoke up just one block away from 'home.'

"Um, Jou? Could I have the booster pack back?"

"Hmm..." The blonde seemed to be mulling over the options as he remembered the small purchase lying in his front pocket. "I think that'd be alright- but not today. This is more importan' than you think, and I wanna make sure you understand that your consequences have actions."

"Er, don't you mean the reverse?"

"..." The non-native teen groaned as he realized he'd messed up the popular saying. "Wise guy."

"Better than a dumb guy!"

Jou chuckled and glanced around. "Right- then let's get you home to the _other_ wise guy before that crazy old bat comes after us."

Mokuba made a face as he thought back on the angry shopkeep. "All the other kids all call her 'The Crone' because she's like a wicked witch!"

Jou let out a disdainful snort. "Well, if she's right and half the other kids are stealing from her; I doubt she's going to start handing out free lollipops and puppies!"

"Oh!" Mokuba glanced hopefully up at the lanky mechanic. "That reminds me! How's Auto been?"

The rowan-eyed high schooler grinned. "He's doin' just fine- Uncle's been taking him home at night. He says it's to help 'potty train' him more, but I think he really likes the pup. The other day I even saw him buyin' this super-plush doggy bed- an' it was waaay too small for Uncle to use himself! So ya just _know_ he's bein' spoiled rotten!" Jou winked and the pair shared another laugh as they made their way back to the apartment.

Little did they know that the day's troubles were far from over...


	11. Chapter 11

A faint buzzing noise woke the exhausted teen. He groaned as he saw a slim rectangle vibrating against the shabby end table near his head. 'Jou's phone- seems the dolt forgot it when he left.'

Something the blonde had said earlier that day had caught Seto's attention, and he glanced back at the device. 'I suppose he won't mind if I borrow this for a quick search...' The older teen easily unlocked the smartphone, and began entering certain keywords into a popular search engine.

Only one major story popped up that caught his attention, but he almost dismissed it. After all, it was about a murder trial.

'Tch- as if _that_ could be Jou. That goof couldn't smack a fly with a flyswatter...'

Still, the bored brunette clicked on the corresponding link, and an old newspaper article instantly appeared... with a photo of a teenager being led into a courtroom by a corrections officer.

'Wait...' Two blue eyes grew large in shock. There was no mistaking that golden, oddly-shaped haircut; nor the gangly figure attached to it. 'No...' His gaze drifted down to the accompanying article, his jaw going slightly slack as he read the first paragraph.

'Officer Higashi escorts the juvenile suspect (a known gang member with priors) into Domino Courtroom #3 while the victim's family members hurled insults and even pieces of garbage...' Seto's eyes frantically darted further down the page, '-accused of second-degree murder after killing a rival gang member in a street brawl- the boy died just _hours_ after being taken to Domino General Hospital- only 16 years old at the marked time of death...'

 _'Holy ****, he killed a_ _ **kid.**_ _'_ A horrific thought suddenly struck the outpatient as he realized he was alone in the apartment.

 **"MOKUBA!"**

Seto tried to leap to his feet, but he could still barely get up on his own. Panic and nausea threatened to overwhelm his heavily-medicated body, while his inner thoughts began reeling.

 _ **'What have I done?!'**_

His insides gave a violent twist, and he leaned over towards the floor as he retched. He was still in the process of emptying his stomach onto the ragged carpeting when the front door opened.

"-So then _I_ said, 'well that ain't no sandwich  I've ever heard of!'" Jou and Mokuba were still sharing a laugh when they noticed the sounds coming from the injured apartment owner.

Jou quickly ran over to the incapacitated teen and knelt down next to the couch. "Whoa- Kaiba?! _Wha' happened?!_ Didja take the wrong meds?! Should I call 9-1-1?!" Jou reached out a hand to steady the other's shoulders, but it was immediately slapped away.

The blonde Samaritan barely had time to react to the rejection before it was followed by a violent screech, delivered at the top of the other's lungs. _**"GET THE **** AWAY FROM HIM!"**_

Jou jumped at least a full foot in the air before glancing confusedly at Mokuba. "I- _what?_ " But the younger brother was just as clueless, and rather frightened- his big brother almost _**never**_ cussed; especially in front of him!

Mokuba glanced nervously at Jou before looking back at his sibling. "Seto?! What's wro-"

The look on the other Kaiba's face was one of pure hatred, and he hissed accusingly at their only visitor. " _What's wrong_ is that this  monster has been lying to you- he's a _**murderer**_!"

"..." The former street thug said nothing. He shifted his gaze down towards the tainted carpet without a single word.

Mokuba looked as if he'd been slapped across the face, and he blinked in disbelief. "Jou?!"

'You really can't run forever...' The lanky auto mechanic sighed. "... it's true."

Mokuba felt his mouth fall open, but made no effort to close it. "No- what?!"

"That's parta the reason why my gang let me go- liability an' all that. Everyone thinks a body count boosts your street cred; but that's only if you don' get caught."

The older sibling wasn't nearly as stunned, and he summoned his strength to make things perfectly clear. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT. _GO NEAR MY BROTHER AGAIN, AND IT WILL BE THE_ _ **LAST**_ _THING YOU DO!"_ The brunette's voice started to give out halfway through, but he still managed to get his meaning across.

Jou said nothing as he stiffly marched back outside. He firmly closed the old door behind him before heading down the rusting stairs. He then walked away from the cheap complex, his warm eyes growing moist with regret.

Meanwhile, inside the now closed unit, the two brothers began arguing. Mokuba seemed to still be in disbelief over Seto's claim, and he even said so. "Seto, Jou's not a bad guy! He's just got really bad luck! You know he wouldn't do anything like _that_ on purpose!"

The tired young adult groaned. "Mokuba, he used to be in a gang. He probably fought with other street thugs just for fun."

"But he's not some sort of monster! Don't you **care**?!"

" _Care?_ Mokuba, did  he care when he killed another teenager just because they were in different street groups?!"

The tweens shoulder's dropped as he sullenly retorted, "you don't _know_ he did that..."

Seto let out a sigh as he prepared to give his beloved brother a very harsh life-lesson. "Mokuba, he _admitted it_ to both of us. Innocent people don't admit to things they didn't do-  you know that."

But his words did little to pacify the pre-teen, and Mokuba started openly sobbing as he hugged his big brother's (mostly un-injured) waist. "NO! It's not true! It just _can't_! Not _Jou_! He's a  good guy!"

"It's not always that simple, Mokie." Feeling more and more sympathetic for the heartbroken boy, Seto softened his tone. "Sometimes... people make bad choices."

"Then... do you hate me now, too?! I got caught shoplifting earlier today, and Jou got me out of it!"

For one brief moment, Seto thought that Mokuba meant Jou had 'taken care of' whoever had caught him. But then he remembered how the pair had been laughing when they'd arrived back- obviously he'd found a different resolution...

 _'In that case, at least.' _His emotions still boiling, Seto raised his voice just slightly. "Mokuba, there's a major difference between _shoplifting_ and _murder._ I'm tired of trying to defend him- he did something terrible and never even told us. Even if it was only by omission, he still lied about what he's done. It was only because I didn't know he was a near-felon that I entrusted him with your safety and care- on _multiple_ occasions. How would you feel if you found out one of your teachers was secretly a killer?"

But the stubborn boy only shook his head from side to side, his black bangs flying everywhere. "He found Auto a home! He got you a job! He saved me from the bullies!"

Seto finally let a faint growl slip into his tone. "Mokuba, _**none**_ of those things can bring someone back from the grave! He  killed someone barely older than yourself!" He could feel something inside himself growing cold as he denounced the kindly blonde. "I don't want to hear another word about that monster, and _that's final_."

Mokuba looked devastated, but knew better than to try and keep arguing. Seto was tired, injured, and utterly stubborn. Convincing him that he was wrong... would just have to wait.

So the next hour passed in awkward silence. Mokuba occasionally gave a sniffle, but the only other sounds in the apartment came from the spray bottle of bargain 'all-purpose' cleaner Seto was using. He felt his frustration building as he attempted to 'freshen up' the worn carpeting. 'Quite frankly, the stained part looks better than the rest, if only because it doesn't look so completely sun-faded...' the technology expert reflected wryly. He had just finished throwing away the used paper towels when both brothers heard a familiar *buzz* sound coming from the nearby end table.

'Oh, great...' Seto sighed as he grabbed the smartphone.

The caller ID read 'Hige's Auto', which meant the caller was likely 'Uncle' Hige. Seto sighed as he glanced over the name- he figured Jou would eventually tell his Uncle what had happened. 'Hmph- probably calling to tell me I'm now un-employed... _joy._ ' Still, he answered on the third ring with his usual greeting. "Seto Kaiba speaking."  
 _"Hey Kaiba! Sorry to bother ya, I was hopin' to catch your lil' brother- Jou told me you've been needin' your beauty rest lately!"_ There was a deep chuckle from the other end. _"_ _But seriously_ _, I hope you're feelin' better- the_ _main_ _computer's been runnin' like a_ _new_ _Ferrari ever since you worked on it, so we're all lookin' forward to having you back!"_

 _'Wait- he wants me to come back? Even after what happened with Jou?'_ Something seemed strange, and the brown-haired man listened closely as the other voice prattled on.

" _Now, normally I wouldn't wanna trouble ya; but if you see Jou, tell that knucklehead I'm lookin' for 'im, wouldja? He was supposed to drop off a part up by Toshi Street before two, an' now I can't get ahold of 'im. Probably takin' a five-course lunch break!"_ The second round of laughter convinced Seto that the man was entirely clueless as to what the 'technician' had just learned. _"Anyway, he said he was gonna drop by and check in on ya first, but given how quiet things sound on yer end, I'm guessin' he's already left?"_

Seto's thoughts began churning as he slowly replied. "Yes, he was here- but he took off over an hour ago."

" _Tch-_ _the Buddha himself couldn't_ _keep that boy in one place for long! Well, I'm bettin' he_ _accidentally_ _let his phone drain again- if only there was a way to take some'a his own energy and channel into that dang device; it'd never go dead again!"_ More laughter followed while the brunette's mind raced. _"Anyhow,_ _if he drops by again, can ya tell him to get back to the shop ASAP?"_

Seto cleared his throat before replying in his firmest tone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hige, but I'd really rather not have any further contact with your nephew- I feel that he has misrepresented himself and his past in a way that may have put my younger brother in danger. He is no longer welcome in near this family."

There was a pause, as though the old mechanic couldn't believe what he was hearing. _"Wait, what?! Slow down a bit- and speak in simple Japanese; I might've lived here longer than Jou, but even I don't know every word yet!"_

"Something your nephew said earlier made me curious, so I did an internet search- and found several links detailing how he was nearly sentenced to life imprisonment after murdering a rival gang member."

The man on the other end suddenly cursed. _"Sh*t, so that's why he's not answering... dredging all that_ _cr*p_ _back up again... dammit!"_

"I take it the online records weren't fake, then?"

" _Nah, but it sure as hell ain't the whole story. That poor, stupid kid- he's been blamin' himself for that for years..."_

"..." Unsure what to say, the brunette merely listened as the older man slowly elaborated. There was a deep weight attached to his words, as though they were mired in regret. _"_ _That whole mess was so twisted- an' it wasn' even his fault. These three younger idiots from the Hanaka gang knew his reputation, and_ _figured_ _they'd get more respect if they whooped his *ss. But they were still cowards, so the_ _y_ _jumped him in a junkyard alley_ _behind a construction zone_ _\- Jou had barely time to throw a punch to defend himself, and the first guy he hit tripped over a pipe and landed... well, let's just say the second pipe was wedged at an odd angle in the scrap pile, and it wouldn' budge, even when it went through the idiot's skull. The kid died pretty quick after that- o' course his buddies all ran away, but poor Jou... the idiot stayed behind. Even tried to help the guy, but.._ _. well..."_

Holding back his revulsion wasn't easy, but the elder Kaiba needed to hear the rest of the story. "That sounds like an unintentional accident without premeditated intent... then why was Jou arrested on harsher charges?"  
 _"It_ _happened_ _right before a major_ _city hall_ _election, an' the_ _officials running for higher offices_ _wanted to show that they were 'crackin' down on crime' or some sh*t. So Jou became_ _a widely publicized_ _scapegoat,_ _'specially seein' how hard it is to hide from th' press when you're stuck in a hospital. The whole mess became a small sensation,_ _addin_ _'_ _a mountain of humiliation and accusations on top'a his already_ _baseless_ _guilt."_

"...I see."

There was another curse on the line, and Seto could tell the mechanic was moving about the shop. _"_ _Damn it. I'll have to shut the place down until I find him. If he dies..."_

"Dies? _"_ The brunette held back a snort. He knew Jou was reckless, but to seek that sort of revenge on his own? "You actually believe he's going to try and take on the entire Hanaka gang by himself?"

Hige's hesitation soon turned into a blatantly incredulous pause. _"_ _Are ya serious?_ _You_ _ **really**_ _don' know?_ _Jou_ _wasn' in the hospital because of_ _any bad_ _injuries from the fight- he was too skilled_ _for that_ _, damn skilled. The Hanaka fools only stood a chance in th_ _'_ _first place because_ _it was an ambush_ _."_

"Then why-?"

The old man's voice dropped even further, losing all warmth and expectancy. _"He was there because he slit his own wrists. He's been_ _completely_ _guilt-ridden ever since that incident, an' I'm bettin' he's feelin' pretty low right now, as well_ _."_

Seto felt a fresh wave of nausea building inside his stomach. "Oh."

" _Yeah._ _I_ _t really shook 'im up inside. He only joined that damn gang to escape my brother_ _'s depravity_ _\- only to run right into a_ _different_ _form of abuse."_ The old man grunted, no doubt putting on a thick jacket or something. _"_ _He only wanted a family, an' it seems every place he looked... well, he only ends up getting more scars."_ There was a slamming sound, followed by a jingling of bells- the main shop door being closed. _"I could_ _never_ _forgive myself if anythin' happened to that dolt, so I'm shuttin' down the shop_ _while I_ _look for 'im."_ There was the heavy *click* of a deadbolt being engaged, and then silence.

"I... I'm sorry."

 _"I know a few places he might go- I dunno how long it'll take to find him, though."_

"I'll come with you."

This time the man let out a harsh snort. _"_ _Not happening, pal. The place's I'm goin' are_ _rough_ _, and you've already been roughed up enough. Got it?_ _Now you rest up, before someone else hits you with another Buick- and if you see Jou, for ****'s sake, don't let him leave before callin' me!"_

Seto heard the line go dead, followed by the eerie silence of a lost connection. 'Sh*t...' He could feel a pair of grey eyes resting on him. Mokuba was watching his borther with great intensity. Which was hardly surprising, given that he surely heard at least half of the conversation that just ensued.

Silently cursing everything, Seto sat up and leaned against the faded couch. "...I'm going after that idiot." The tall techie groaned as he made to get to his feet. "Grab those crutches, will you?"

"What?! But big brother, your injuries-!"

"This is mostly my fault, and I won't be held responsible for that emotional fool's reactions."

Mokuba jutted out his lower lip as he handed over the crutches. "Then I'm coming with!"

"NO." Seto froze as he realized the real reason he didn't want his brother joining him. _'I don't want him to find Jou, especially if he's...'_ He eased his voice to gentler level, and tried to delicately explain his thoughts. "Mokie... I know you want to help, and you care about Jou. But he's in a bad state right now, and I was the one who pushed him there. You know how embarrassed you'd feel if you started crying in public? Well, I don't think he would want you to see him as he (possibly) is right now- got it?"

Mokuba frowned, but nodded in stubborn acceptance. "Fine. But you'd better find him!"

Seto finally made to step away from the ragged couch, one of Uncle Hige's crutches in each hand. "I plan to."

 _ ***THWUMP!***_

" _Seto!"_

The elder sibling groaned- it was a good thing he'd just cleaned the carpet, as his face was now squashed against it.

"...just as soon as I figure how to use these stupid crutches."


End file.
